Life Taking Place Elsewhere
by NickyM96
Summary: Post Watershed. Kate Beckett goes to DC to fulfill a life long dream. But what happens when she realizes she's leaving behind what she's wanted all along? Can she find her way back home?
1. Prologue

Title: Life Taking Place Elsewhere

Author: NickyM96

Rating: K+

Summary: Kate Beckett goes to DC to fulfill a life long dream. But what happens when she realizes she's leaving behind what she's wanted all along? Can she find her way back home?

Spoilers: Watershed

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own entertainment purpose and will return them for the next user when done.

* * *

**Prologue**

THE look of shock - or is it horror - on Kate Beckett's face says it all.

"Why now?" she asks the man kneeling before her.

'_Because I love you.'_

'_Because I can't live without you.'_

'_Because I've been dreaming of this moment since the second I met you.'_

All things he _should_ say, it occurs to him later. Much later. When it's far too late. Instead, he just sits there with his mouth open, not sure how to answer her. But she knows how to answer him.

"I can't marry you," she says finally, closing his hand over the ring so she won't have to see it tempting her. "I'm going to DC."

"That's fine. DC is great," he tells her, not really understanding what she's trying to say. "We can get a townhouse in Georgetown and …"

"No, Castle," she stops him before he can finish. "_I _am going to DC. Alone …. Without you."

The silence is deafening. He runs her words around in his mind over and over until they begin to make sense to him.

"You don't want me there," he gasps, realization striking him as if it were a physical blow. "You're not just leaving New York or your job. You're leaving _me_."

"I have to," is all she says to explain. Her throat burns trying to hold back her tears. The look on his face is killing her on the inside.

"No, you don't have to," he corrects her. "I'll go anywhere with you, Beckett. I thought you knew that. Five years you haven't been able to shake me. What makes you think I'd let you leave me now?"

"This isn't about you. This is about me. This is about what I have to do."

"But what about us. Or is there no 'us' in your mind?" he asks, not needing the answer from her. The look on her face says it all. He nods, not so much in acceptance, but more in resignation. "I understand."

He finally rises from his knee, wiping the dirt off his pants and praying he won't have to do the same with any tears on his face. Having a proposal rejected is embarrassing enough. It would be mortifying if she saw him cry. Because if he started to cry, nothing would stop him from begging her. His pride couldn't take that second blow.

"Have a good life, Detective …. oh, excuse me. I mean _Agent_ Beckett."

The word 'agent' comes out of his mouth sounding more like a vulgarity. He reaches for her hand, but not to shake it. Instead, he places the ring inside and closes her fist around it.

"Keep it. I don't want it," he says before turning to walk away.

x.x.x.x.x

* * *

A/N: Fear not … I'm probably the BIGGEST Caskett shipper out there. So trust me when I say this separation won't be lasting long. I just wanted to put this out there to whet some appetites while I polish up some of the later chapters. My furlough days are Fridays, so expect an update then … maybe sooner.

The title came with some help from some twitter chats with CastleHeatFan, so many thanks. It comes from a poem called "Moves in the Field" by Sara Miller.

Thanks in advance for reading and I'd love to hear from you ... NTM


	2. Chapter 1

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

_One week later_

SHE tries to smile, but it comes off forced and weak. Her friends let her get away with it, stealing glances every so often to the elevator doors of the precinct looking for the one person who could put a real smile on her face. He never comes.

"She looks like she's going to her execution instead of to a great new job," Javier Esposito whispers to his date, Lanie Parish. "How could Castle bail on her like this?"

Lanie just sighs and looks at her friend. She knows Kate Beckett is miserable, but there's nothing she can do for her.

"I don't know," she shrugs. "Those two never do what's expected. Wait. What are you doing?"

She pulls Esposito's phone out of his hand before he can make the call she assumes he's about to make.

"I'm calling Castle," he says, trying to take his phone back. But she's quicker than he is and keeps it out of reach. "He needs to man up and be here for her, instead of brooding like a kid because he doesn't want her to go. None of us wants her to leave, but we understand that this is a great opportunity for her. We all love her and we want her to be successful. What kind of man would hold her back?"

"I don't know." she shrugs again, truly confused. "But I'm not entirely convinced this is all on Castle."

"How can you say that? I thought she was your best friend?"

"She _is_ my best friend," Lanie insists. "That's how I can say that. I have learned that things are always complicated between her and Castle. They always take the long, convoluted road even when the straight and narrow path is right in front of them."

"What are we going to do about them? I mean, we have to do something. Look at her, Lanie. I can't stand that look on her face. And if Castle is the reason for it, I'm going to beat on him until he looks as bad as she does."

Esposito goes to walk off his mad and to also get a refill on their drinks.

"Oh, Kate," Lanie sighs to herself. "What did you do this time?"

Before the night is over, Lanie is determined she's going to find out. Somebody has to help Castle and Beckett make this right. This is one of those times when some outside intervention will be necessary.

x.x.x.x.x

BECKETT barely makes it inside her apartment before there's a knock on the door. She can't help but wonder who it could be. She just left her going away party with almost everyone she knows. Everyone but one person. For one brief moment, she allows herself to hope it's him.

She pulls the door open with more excitement she's been able to muster all week.

"Calm down, Girl. It's just me. Not Castle."

She deflates and can't stop the look of disappointment from crossing her face when she recognizes Lanie.

"I know it's not Cas ... him," she quickly corrects, not even able to say his name. "We already said our good-byes. I don't think I'm ever seeing him again."

"And who's fault is that?"

Beckett almost can't believe Lanie's nerve. But then again, this is her best friend. She knows Lanie as well as Lanie knows her. And she knows Lanie doesn't beat around the bush. It was only a matter of time before the subject of Castle came up. He was a big part in her initial hesitation to take the job in DC. Lanie knows that. So it stands to reason Lanie would wonder if he had any part in her decision to accept the job.

"What is there to blame? I'm moving, he's staying. End of story. End of relationship."

Lanie accepts the glass of wine Beckett offers her and the two sit on the sofa. Lanie's silent stare starts to unnerve Beckett, causing Beckett to squirm.

"What?" she impatiently asks Lanie.

"I'm waiting on you to tell me what really happened between you and Castle. Because I know it's not as simple as what you're making it out to be. When we last spoke, you were worried about your relationship with him, wondering how this would affect you two. Is that the problem? Did he not want to do the long distance thing?"

"In a way," Beckett admits. "Instead of having a long distance relationship, he offered to go with me. Oh, and he proposed."

Lanie is stunned silent.

"Proposed …. _marriage_?" she asks, after she's gotten over her shock.

"Of course, marriage," Beckett laughs nervously. "What else would he be proposing?"

"Hold on a second," Lanie interrupts again. "Let me get this straight. You wanted to know where your relationship with Castle was headed and when he tells you he wants to marry you, you turn him down and tell him you're leaving him?"

"He didn't want to marry me," Beckett sighs, shaking her head. "He was just scared and desperate for me to stay."

"I thought you said he offered to go to DC with you."

"He did," Beckett nods.

"And …. ?"

"Lanie, I can't have him there with me. First of all, I'll always wonder if he's there when he'd really rather be here in New York. His family is here. His mom, Alexis. I can't take him from them."

"But he said he'd go, right?"

"Only after I told him I was taking the job," Beckett explains. "It was a complete change from the first fight we had about my job offer."

"You're confusing me," Lanie says, picking up the wine bottle and refilling both their glasses. Start from the beginning and tell me everything. We need to get this straight."

Beckett takes a big sip of her wine and starts from the beginning. She tells Lanie about the job offer that came after the drone case. She tells Lanie about going to DC for the interview and how Castle accidentally found her boarding pass in her jacket pocket.

"Stop right there," Lanie interrupts her. "You didn't tell him about the job interview?"

"I didn't know anything would come of it," Beckett tries to explain. "I needed to know my options. Besides, this job was about me and what I wanted. I couldn't let Castle decide for me. Not when I had no idea if we even had a future."

"Really, Kate? You had NO idea?" Lanie is flabbergasted. "You've been with this man for five years and you had NO idea how he felt about you?"

Beckett squirms uncomfortably under Lanie's questioning glare. When she puts it that way, her reasons are starting to sound more like excuses born from fear, insecurities, and doubt. And that is on her, not Castle.

"If that's true, then you're not nearly as good a detective as people give you credit for. That man loves you. He has loved you almost as long as he's known you. He's been waiting patiently for you to give him even the slightest hint you're ready for what he's offering. Now you're going to sit there and pretend you don't know how serious he is for you? I mean, for God's sake, the man proposed marriage. Did the ring not give you a clue as to what he wanted?"

"Lanie, I don't want a desperate proposal of marriage. I'm sure he bought that ring right before coming to see me. And now, I'm stuck with it."

Beckett moves to a drawer and pulls the ring out, handing it over to Lanie for her to see.

"He told me to keep it, that he didn't want it. Then he walked away from me. That was a week ago. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

"This is the ring?" Lanie asks, looking at the ring in her hand. "The ring he proposed with?"

"I'd take it back to whatever store I'm sure he got it from if I could. It's only been a week. I'm sure it's not past the return deadline."

"He got it from Tiffany's," Lanie tells her. "And he didn't get it a week ago. He's had it since just after Valentine's Day."

"How do you know that?" Beckett eyes her suspiciously.

"If you bothered to try it on, you'd see it was a perfect fit. Castle knew you and I wore the same size ring, so he asked me to go with him when he picked it out. He wanted it to be perfect," Lanie explains.

"You were with him when he got this ring?" Beckett asks incredulously. "Months ago?"

"Months ago, Kate. He wants to be with you. And now you've made it clear you don't want to be with him."

"It's not that," Beckett says, covering her face with her hands. "That's not what I meant. I was just so sure he was proposing out of desperation and then he got so mad and left …"

"You made assumptions that weren't true," Lanie finishes for her.

"And now it's too late," Beckett sighs. A tear drips down her face and she doesn't even bother to wipe it away. "I've ruined everything. He'll never understand now."

"Try him," Lanie says, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. "He loves you. I'm sure he'll forgive you and if you asked, I bet he'd happily meet you at the airport with his bags packed."

"It's more complicated than that."

"It always is with you two," Lanie groans, shaking her head. She throws up her hands in defeat. "I give up. If you want to let a good thing slip through your fingers, then I can't do anything about it."

"Lanie …"

"No, I mean it, Kate. I came, we talked, and I tried. You made your decision. Maybe one of these days, the true consequences of your actions will hit you and you'll see what you're giving up. It's clear to me that Castle isn't making you choose between him and this job. That's all on you."

"Don't you think I know that, Lanie?" Beckett cries in frustration. "I just don't know how to fix this. It's going to take everything in me to survive this move and this new job. That's why I can't have Castle coming with me. I have to know I can do this. I have to know that I can still do the work on my own and not because Castle is there with me."

"You two make a good team," is all Lanie says.

"We do," Beckett nods. "But he can't be my partner in DC."

"Not on the job, no," Lanie agrees. "But I don't think that's the job he was signing on for. Kate, he wants to be your partner in life. Maybe you should think about what that really means."

Lanie finishes her wine and sets the glass on the table.

"Okay, your flight leaves tomorrow, so let's do this now."

Lanie stands and pulls Beckett to her feet. She throws her arms around the woman and holds on tight for a few precious moments.

"Go knock them dead in DC like I know you can," Lanie says, barely holding in her tears. "I love you, Girl."

"Love you too, Lanie."

Lanie manages to leave before they both start crying. Tears can wait. Lanie has one more stop to make before her night is over.

x.x.x.x.x

LANIE gets to Castle's and has to knock several times before he answers. She takes one look at him and wonders if her visit will be in vain.

"You're drunk," she says pointedly.

"Probably," he nods, hanging on to the door to keep his balance. He lifts the bottle of scotch in his other hand, nearly hitting his head in the process. "Been drinking for awhile. Want some?"

"No thanks. I'm good." Lanie frowns when she gets a peek inside his penthouse. "Maid's week off?"

"I think I yelled at her the last time she was here. That was yesterday … or the day before or … whenever," he shrugs. "What day is it?"

"The day before Beckett leaves for DC," Lanie tells him, watching his eyes go dark with pain. "You missed her going away party, by the way."

"Not much in a party mood." He takes a swig of the scotch, scowling when Lanie rips the bottle out his hand. "Hey, give that back!"

"You need to stop this," she scolds him. "Get sober and go say good-bye to her. Neither of you will ever forgive yourselves if you don't."

"Don't wanna forgive her. I just want her to go far away and leave me alone. That's what she wants anyway. Maybe then she can finally be happy," he sighs, his mood turning broody. "All I ever wanted was to make her happy. Why couldn't I make her happy, Lanie?"

His sad eyes break her heart. Lanie can see how this man child wormed his way into Kate Beckett's heart. Even now, Lanie is finding it difficult to keep up with the tough love act when all she wants to do is cuddle him up in her arms.

"You did make her happy, Castle," she says sadly. "She was just too blind to see it and too insecure to accept it. That's why _you_ have to go say good-bye. After all you two have been through together, it can't end like this. Go get your closure. You'll never have any peace if you don't."

He seems to consider her words for a moment, but in the end, he simply reaches out and takes the scotch bottle from her hands.

"I don't need peace. I have my scotch."

He turns his back on her and she realizes she's done all she can here. What happens next is up to the two of them.

x.x.x.x.x

* * *

A/N … things really do get better soon. I just had to show how miserable they'd be without each other. I think this is the last sad chapter … I think :-\ ... maybe?

Thanks again for reading. Feel free to comment. I'll try to take the good along with the bad :-) ... NTM


	3. Chapter 2

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

THEY call her flight and even though she was the first at the gate, she is the last to board the plane. She still held hope that Castle would show up. She waits until she nearly misses her flight before she finally realizes the truth … he isn't coming. She can't even be mad at him. She has no one to blame but herself. With a sigh, she boards the plane, leaving one life behind and taking steps towards her new one.

The flight to DC is short and before she knows it, they are landing. She moves with the flow of people moving off the plane, checking the signs for directions to baggage claim. She looks up and stops in her tracks. She's suddenly staring into the eyes of the person she never thought she'd see again.

"Castle," she whispers, blinking to make sure she isn't seeing things.

"Hi," he says, giving her a shy smile.

She takes in his haggard appearance. She can see he tried to clean up, but whatever damage he inflicted on himself was too great to clear completely away. He looks tired and sick. Heartsick, she'd guess. And she realizes with great shame that she caused this.

"You're here," she says, smiling back.

"We never said good-bye. After all we've been through, we deserve to end better than we did. I'm sorry I just walked away," he apologizes.

"Castle, it's not …"

"No, let me get this out first." He takes a tentative step towards her and reaches out his hand. She grabs hold of it and feels the ache in her heart dissipate just a little just at the contact with him.

"I just wanted to say that I am extremely proud of you," he starts. "You deserve this job and all the honor that goes with it. You're smart, talented and a hard worker. Anyone would be nuts to not want you working for them. I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it. I know you're going to shine like you always do. I know I was angry at first, but I was never not proud of your accomplishments. I just had to make sure you knew that."

"Thanks," she says. "But …"

"Not finished," he smiles, pressing a finger to her lips. "I also wanted to say that I love you. And I really do want to marry you. But I remember that I said 'no matter what happens and no matter what you decide.' You decided to take the job and that you wanted to go alone. I have to respect that decision and … let you go."

He lets out a breath after those words, almost as if he had to force them out. His grip on her hand lets her know that letting her go is going to be easier said than done for him.

"So, Katherine Houghton Beckett … good-bye. You've made the last five years of my life the best of my life. And if this is the last thing we're ever going to say to each other, I just want you to know that you'll forever be in my heart. And I'm going to remember you … always."

"Castle," she sighs, throwing her arms around him. "I don't want this to be good-bye."

He takes a moment to enjoy feel of her being in his arms again.

"Then what do you want?"

"Time," she tells him. "And not time like after my shooting. I just need time to prove I can make it on my own. I've depended on you for too many years. You've become an integral part of how I work. But I have to prove myself to them. And to myself."

"My being here with you would be a distraction," he realizes with a nod. "I understand. It's like when you give me space to write."

"I don't want to _not_ be with you, Castle. It never was that," she assures him. "I just don't know how to do this _with_ you."

"I told you, I understand," he says, kissing her hand. "But I'm still going to miss you."

And those are the words that breaks the dam on her tears.

She falls into his arms again and he lets her cry, his own tears mixing with hers.

"Hey, we're going to get through this," he promises her. "I waited four years for you, Kate Beckett. I can wait a little while longer."

And just like that, the ache in her heart eases even more.

"I needed to hear that," she smiles. It's reassuring to know he's not giving up on her.

"Always isn't just a word with us. It's a promise," he says.

He steps back, wipes away her tears and gives her his best impersonation of a smile.

"No more crying. Chin up," he orders. "You got this."

"I got this," she repeats as she starts to walk away. She pauses, looks back at him and says, "Until tomorrow, Castle."

He waits until she's out of view before letting his smile fall.

"Good-bye, Kate," he says sadly. He goes to find the closest bar to wait for his flight back to New York.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_One month later ..._

HE SITS at his computer, pretending to write. Much like he's been doing since she left a month ago. But nothing comes to him. Not one word of his newest Nikki Heat novel has made it to the page. His muse, his inspiration, is gone. How does anyone expect him to work like this? The knock at the door, when it comes, is a welcome interruption.

"Ryan, Espo. Hey guys," he says with false cheer. He's learned over the past month to put on a happy face. Otherwise, he gets the looks of pity that make him want to crawl into bed with his bottle of scotch and cry. He's been trying to not do that anymore. It just makes him feel worse when he wakes up.

"We just thought you'd like to come out with us for a little while," Ryan says.

"Yeah, you're looking kind of pale, Bro," Esposito adds. "Even paler than Ryan, and that's saying a lot."

That gets a little chuckle out of Castle, bringing to memory the stripper casting agent who wanted to hire Ryan as a Rob Pattinson look-a-like. But then he thinks about going to that strip club with Beckett. And he thinks about what she was wearing. How pretty her hair was and …. he lets out a sigh. He's got to stop doing that. Trips down memory lane only make him miss her more. Maybe getting out isn't such a bad idea after all.

"Sounds good," Castle finally agrees. He looks around and grabs his phone and his keys and follows them out the door. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Ryan tells him with a secret smile. "I think you'll like it, though."

The surprise turns out to be a body drop. The guys missed him tagging along and decided to bring him along on this case. But with multiple witnesses and the perp having dropped his wallet at the scene, closing the case was a slam dunk. Castle was back home by dinner time. He appreciates the guys' effort, but working a case without Beckett just leaves him thirsty for his scotch. And again, he knows that's not the way to go.

About a week or so after Beckett left, Jim Beckett showed up at his door. He seemed to know what Castle would be going through and came to warn him of the dangers of losing himself in the bottle. Castle appreciated the advice. And realizing the man was just as lonely as he, Castle made an effort to meet at least once a week with the older man. Sometimes a couple times a week. They'd mostly go to baseball games. But sometimes they'd just have dinner. Castle genuinely likes the guy and enjoys the breaks from the sadness and loneliness. Plus, it's the only time he gets to hear news of Beckett. Jim is the only one she keeps in contact with.

By the time he gets back home, he finds several missed calls on his house answering machine. One was from Jim, canceling their dinner for the next night because he had to work. One was from his mother, checking in from her summer spa getaway (more like her chance to get away from her brooding son). The last was from Gina. He almost deletes that one like he normally does without even listening. But this time he listens and is disappointed to find she's demanding a meeting with him. It was only a matter of time, he realizes. There's only so long his publishers would accept his silence. The fact that it's Gina calling him directly can't be good. He hasn't spoken much to the woman since they broke up over 2 years ago. No, this can't be good at all.

Maybe it's time to say good-bye to Nikki Heat, much the same way he had to say good-bye to Kate Beckett. Could he kill her off, the way he did Derrick Storm? Or maybe she and Rook could run off and have their happily ever after. Either ending would break his heart. He puts it out of his mind. He'll think about it when Gina forces the issue on him.

His stomach growling reminds him he didn't eat. One look into his refrigerator reminds him he didn't shop. He has to go for take out. Instead of calling in the order, he walks to the Thai place on the corner, unable to resist getting Beckett's favorites. On his way back up to his penthouse, the doorman gives him a strange smile with his "Have a good evening, Mr. Castle." Castle ponders it all the way up to his place. Stepping off the elevator, he sees what the old man was about.

Sitting in front of his door was the last person he expected to see.

"Beckett," he practically whispers, the shock having stolen his voice.

"Hi Castle," she says, rising to her feet.

He just stares at her for a few moments, a little unsure his eyes aren't playing tricks on him.

"Can I come in?" she finally asks, breaking him from his trance.

"Yeah, of course. Let me get the door," he says, fumbling for his keys.

She takes the food to free up his hands for the door. Even then it takes him a few tries to get the key to open the lock. Once they get inside, she sets the food on the kitchen counter, then turns to look at him.

"What are you …" he starts to say. But he doesn't finish. She doesn't let him finish. One minute he's asking why she's there, the next, he has an armful of Kate Beckett with a choke hold around his neck.

"Beckett?" he asks, confused by her actions.

"Just give me a minute," she pleads with him, snuggling deeper into his embrace. "I missed you. So much."

"I, uh … missed you too," he replies, still unsure what's going on. But the longer she holds onto him, the less he cares. This is like a dream come true. He decides not to waste time on questions. He's just going to enjoy the moment while it lasts.

"Sorry," she says, finally pulling away from him. She wipes away one stray tear and goes to sit on the couch. "I promised myself I wasn't going to do this."

"Is everything alright, Beckett?" Her tears worry him. But the fact that she has shown up out of the blue on a Tuesday night in the middle of the week makes him wonder what's really going on. "Are you okay? Is it your dad? Is he okay?"

Castle just heard from the man earlier that day, but anything can happen. His stomach clenches in fear until Beckett assures him Jim is fine.

"This is going to sound so silly, but I really did just miss you," she confesses, taking his hand in hers. She can't seem to stop touching him. "I can't do this. Not without you. I thought I could, but …"

"Wait, do you mean your new job?" he asks, confused by what she's trying to say.

"Castle, I went up there with every intention of putting my old life behind me and starting a new one up there in DC. But the more I tried, the more I realized I'm no longer that person who wanted that life. Being with you changed me. Nothing seems to mean as much as I thought it would mean if you're not there to share it with me."

"But you said …"

"I know what I said, Castle. And I thought I meant it. I wanted to mean it. It's actually a pretty humbling thing to realize about myself," she says with a smile. "Me, poster girl for 'Miss Independent' being ruled by her heart. Needing her White Knight to ride in and rescue her."

That gets a little chuckle out of him.

"To be fair, you've done your share of rescuing this White Knight. I may be persuaded to admit you've saved my life as many times as I've saved yours."

"Yes, I remember your list," she laughs. "I assume you've added to it since that case with the bank robbers."

"There are a couple more instances that come to mind."

"We have been through a lot together," she adds, her mood sobering as she thinks back over the past five years. "I'd like to get things back on track with us. I shouldn't have left the way I did. I need you to forgive me, Castle.

He slides closer to her on the couch, taking her hand in his.

"Nothing to forgive," he assures her. "What went wrong was on both of us. We both made mistakes. But from now on, I think we can learn from those mistakes and be better."

"I want that," she smiles, sighing in relief. "I want to make things right. Starting with this."

She reaches into her shirt and pulls out the necklace there. He's surprised to see the ring he gave her hanging from the end.

"You kept it," he notes, sounding amazed. He opens his hand and lets her place the ring there. "It's beautiful. When I saw it, I knew it belonged to you. I've been dying to see it on your finger."

"I think I've made you wait long enough," she says shyly. "If you ask again, I think I'll have a different answer for you this time."

He rolls the ring between his fingers, doubt, fear, and hesitation evident in his eyes. But he looks up at her and has never seen her look more determined.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks, giving her one last chance to back out.

"Castle, I may not be sure about what I want to do or where I want to do it, but I am sure about us. And I'm sure that wherever I end up, I want you with me."

"That is all I want too," he sighs in relief before getting down on one knee. "So, Katherine Beckett … will you marry me?"

"Yes, Castle," she says with a laugh. "I will marry you."

She barely waits for him to put the ring on her finger before she throws her arms around him.

"How could something that terrified me a month ago be so freeing and exhilarating today?" she wonders aloud. "This is the first thing in a long time that has felt right."

He notes with some concern how she keeps referring to her new job as 'wrong'. He's not sure what it's all about, but as she starts to kiss him, the thought goes further and further to the back of his mind. When she starts to undress him, it leaves his mind entirely. Nothing but celebrating their reunion has his attention. They have a lot of time to make up for.

x.x.x.x.x

* * *

A/N … See! I couldn't leave them miserable. They still have a lot to work out, but at least they're sort of on the same page this time. Let's hope they are, at least *fingers crossed*

Thanks for reading! Comments are welcomed and cherished … NTM


	4. Chapter 3

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

SEVERAL hours later, he reaches across the bed for her only to find the space empty. A brief moment of panic has him thinking it was all a dream.

"Kate?" he sleepily calls out, sitting up to get a better look around the room. He lets out a sigh of relief when he sees her silhouette in the darkness.

"I'm here," she whispers, turning from her gazing out the window to face him. She walks back over to the bed and sits next to him. "I'm not leaving just yet. But I have to go soon. I have a 6 am flight back to DC."

"You just came for the one day? You can't stay through the weekend?" he pouts.

"I should have waited for the weekend," she smiles, her hand cupping his face and stroking his jaw. "But I just couldn't make it one more day without you. What does that say about me?"

"That you love me. As much as I love you, Kate." He presses a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm glad you came, even for just these few hours."

"I'm glad too. Maybe you can return the favor and come up this weekend? Maybe stay next week … and the week after that?"

He just shakes his head, frowning a little.

"You know I can't," he says quietly. "And not because I don't want to. But because you were right when you left me behind. You need to do this on your own."

"I was scared," she admits. "Afraid of going with you and of going without you."

"But you faced those fears and went up there," he reminds her. "That probably was for the best. Whatever happens up there, you'll know it was because of you alone. If you decide to keep the job and stay, then I'll pull up those townhouse listings in Georgetown again. I'll move down there with you faster than you can flash that nifty new badge of yours. I told you, whatever happens, whatever you decide. I'm behind you 100 percent. You have my complete support."

"You're right," she nods somberly. "I need to do this on my own. I just want you with me, especially now."

She holds out her hand to admire the sparkling engagement ring on her finger. It brings a small smile to her face, but there's still a troubled look in her eyes.

He cocks his head to the side and gives her a long, considering glance.

"What's really going on?" he asks. "More than once you've alluded to being unsure about your job. Do you not like it? Do you think you made a mistake going?"

"Yes and no to both questions," she admits after a few moments to think. "This is a good job for me. I like the challenge. But it doesn't feel like a perfect fit."

"It's only been a month," he reminds her. "Did your job as a cop always feel like a perfect fit?"

"Before I met you? No, not always. But afterwards? Yeah. We made a good team, Castle. Me, you, Ryan, Espo, and Lanie. Leaving that job was like leaving behind pieces of my soul. I doubt anything with this new job can fill those empty spaces I left here."

"You'll figure it out," he says, pressing a kiss to her forehead before getting out the bed to get dressed.

While he's in the bathroom, she goes to his closet and is pleased to find her clothes right where she left them. For some reason, that small thing makes her feel better. It makes her feel like she hasn't been completely forgotten, like she still has a home here.

She's just putting on her suit jacket when Castle's computer beeps.

"Castle," she calls out. "Your, uh, laptop is ringing... or something."

He pokes his head out the bathroom door. Steam billows around him and his face is half shaved.

"Probably Alexis. Sometimes we video chat early in the morning when she knows she's going to be out of reach for a few days. Can you answer it and let her know I'll be out in a second?"

At her nod, Castle goes back into the bathroom to finish shaving and dressing. Beckett goes to the computer and accepts the video call.

"Hey Dad!" Alexis cheerfully calls out until she notices it's not her father's face she sees. "Kate? What are you doing there?"

"Would you believe I was homesick?"

"No," Alexis shakes her head, frowning at the woman. "In fact, the last I heard, you had packed up and moved out of town. You left my dad miserable. What are you even doing there? Finishing off the job and completely ruining his life?"

"Alexis," Beckett tries to calm her. "It's not like that. Things are sometimes complicated with your father and me. Don't pretend like you've never been in a complicated relationship."

Alexis considers Beckett's words and can't deny what she's saying.

"But you hurt my dad."

"I know I did. If it's any consolation, I hurt myself, too. But I'm back now. I love your father more than anything and I realized that I can't live without him, as cheesy as that sounds. We're just going to take things one day at a time, spend as many weekends together as we can. Where we end up depends on how the job goes. But we're going to be together."

Beckett smiles, holding up her left hand so Alexis can see the ring.

"You're wearing it," Alexis says, almost tearfully. "You kept it even after you turned down his proposal."

"You don't mind?" Beckett asks her, almost afraid of what her answer will be. "You're okay with me marrying your dad?"

"I'm happy if he's happy. Just don't hurt him again," Alexis warns her. "It hurts us all."

"It's never been about you. Or Martha," Beckett tells her. "If anything, you two are the bonuses to this relationship."

"Really? I thought … maybe I was too much of a brat or something. Maybe I kept you from my dad for all these years," Alexis confesses.

"No, Sweetheart. You have been one of the best parts of the past 5 years. It's been an honor watching you blossom into the beautiful, mature young woman sitting a thousand miles away in another country having the adventure of a lifetime. You amaze me, Alexis. And I know you don't need a mother, but I'll try to be a good stepmother."

"Having a mother wouldn't be so bad," Alexis smiles shyly.

"Oh. That's, uh … sweet," Beckett says, blinking away tears. She's relieved when Castle comes out the bathroom finally.

"Hey, Pumpkin!" he calls out to his daughter.

"I'll let you two chat," Beckett says, surreptitiously wiping away a tear. "Take care, Alexis. If you run into any trouble at all … "

"Then I'll tell them my mom has a gun and isn't afraid to use it," Alexis teases.

She has to blink back even more tears when she hears Alexis refer to her as "Mom."

"Sounds like you two had a nice chat," she hears Castle say to Alexis as she leaves the room.

She heads into the kitchen to make some coffee. She pauses to look at her ring and can't help but smile. She's getting a family she never thought she'd have. She wonders again at the absolute rightness of this situation. A month ago when she left for her new job in DC, she thought that was the life she wanted. She thought that was the ultimate career goal for a woman like her. But what if there's more to life than just a job? How could an engagement ring and a brief chat with Alexis get maternal feelings stirring inside of her so suddenly and so strongly? What does that mean about DC?

Castle comes out of his bedroom and heads for the coffee pot where the coffee has just finished brewing.

"It was good talking to Alexis," Beckett says. "I didn't realize how much I missed her until I saw her face."

Castle gives her a curious glare.

"What exactly did you two talk about? Because Alexis had that same, goofy starry eyed look on her face that you do. Then she warned me not to do anything stupid to drive you away again."

"I think she's happy we're getting married," is all Beckett says. She tips up to give Castle a kiss. "I'm ecstatic about that myself."

She glances at her watch and frowns.

"I need to get to the airport," she sighs. "I don't want to say good-bye. You sure you can't come with me?"

"We talked about this," he reminds her. "Besides, I have a meeting with my publisher on Friday. Got the call from Gina herself. I don't think they're very happy with me. I pretty much shut down after you left and they haven't heard a word from me since. They're probably sending her to fire me. She's probably happy to do it since she no longer needs my alimony. I hear she's engaged to some rich prince or something. Once she's married to him, I'll be off her financial leash."

"What a thing to say about a woman you married," she says with a laugh, not wanting to admit out loud how true the statement is.

"Anyway," he continues, ignoring her teasing. "Now that my muse is back, I think I can have something solid to them by Friday to hold off on any rash decisions on their part. I'm not quite ready to let go of Nikki."

To prove his point, he grabs Beckett and pulls her to him, kissing her soundly and thoroughly on the lips. She nearly collapses when her knees go rubbery. She has to pull away or else risk missing her flight.

"That's to get you through the next few days," he whispers hoarsely, suddenly wishing he could take her back to bed. "You visit this weekend and I'll come to you next weekend. How does that sound?"

She agrees and they get to the airport just in time for her flight. She flies away knowing she'll be back in just a few days. Her heart feels so light and free. She's finally got her happiness. And nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to take that away from her.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Friday morning, Castle prints out the latest version of his newest Nikki Heat book to give to Gina. It's still barely more than the bare bones of the story, but it's a good one. His publishers might be angry with him, but when Gina takes back solid evidence of a new book in the works, there's no way they'd cut him. Not when a new book, possibly the best of the series, is in progress.

Beckett's visit earlier that week spawned him into a writing frenzy like he's never had before. Seeing her again was like someone lighting a room when he'd been in darkness forever. He went from being completely miserable to being completely happy. Nothing can bring him down from this love induced high.

The knock on his door turns his smile into a scowl. If anyone can ruin his high, it's Gina. The woman has a way of grating on his nerves. To this day, he doesn't know why he ever married her. He's even more confused about their brief reconciliation a few years ago. Thank God he got out of that mistake with minimum damage.

Determined not to let even Gina ruin his happiness, he forces a smile on his face and opens the door.

"Richard," Gina says, waltzing in and tossing air kisses his way.

"Gina. It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has been awhile. 28 months, to be exact."

Gina looks towards the door. Confused, Castle turns his head to follow her gaze. Standing in the door way was a plain woman carrying a child. A small child. A small child with his eyes.

Castle is speechless. For the first time in his life, words actually fail him. He can't seem to bring not a one to his mind to describe this situation.

"This is Tyler," Gina explains. "He's our son."

A sharp pain squeezes his chest and he realizes he's holding his breath. He lets the air out of his lungs and pulls in another gasp before blinking his eyes a few times. Maybe if he wishes hard enough, this whole scene will disappear and the gaping void threatening to suck him under will have done its job.

"Would you excuse us a minute?" he asks the young woman at the door before slamming it in her face. He turns to Gina, his face still white from shock, but manages to toss a grim look her in her direction anyway. "Start talking. Now."

x.x.x.x.x

* * *

A/N … even I'm kind of shocked by this turn of events. I didn't really see that coming when I first started kicking around this idea. Stay tuned to see how, or even if, Castle and Beckett deal with this latest development.

Thanks for reading and commenting. It's greatly appreciated and so encouraging ... NTM


	5. Chapter 4

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

A/N -

Okay, so based on some comments, maybe the baby twist was going a bit far. But this is fanfic. Where else can you go a bit too far? It's all good. I wanted Caskett to have a kid and now they have one.

Apologies in advance to any Gina fans out there. She doesn't really come off well in my story. But in my defense, I tend not to have the best POV concerning the various exes of Castle and Beckett. Consequently, they usually end up being the bad guy in my fics. Again, that's the beauty of fanfic. It doesn't have to be completely realistic all the time.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

Beckett decides to try calling Castle one more time before giving up on him all together. She's just flown in from DC for their weekend and he isn't at the airport to pick her up like they agreed. She can't figure out if she's more angry or worried. If he isn't there like he promised, then she's afraid something is wrong. She'd actually rather be angry at him for blowing her off. But her gut is telling her to be worried.

"Castle."

She breathes a sigh of relief when he finally answers his phone.

"Is there somewhere you're supposed to be? Like now?" she tries to teasingly remind him. Her worry starts to creep back when he's silent for a few moments before finally speaking again.

"Beckett, I'm sorry. Your plane arrived. I'm late."

His voice sounds dead and void, almost as if he's in shock. Her worry is upgraded to panic.

"Castle, what's wrong?" she asks. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did something happen?"

"I can't leave," is all he says. "Can you get here? I need you."

"I'll be right there," she promises, running outside to try to flag a taxi. Luck is on her side and she manages to get one immediately. She gives the driver Castle's address and they race off. She promises a big tip if he can get her there quickly.

Twenty minutes later, she's paying the driver his hefty bonus and running up to Castle's building. The doorman tries to greet her, but she runs right past him to the elevators. She's tempted to take the stairs, but running up to the penthouse level would be a bit much, even for her.

The elevator seems to be cooperating today too and she gets up to Castle's floor in record time.

"Castle?" she calls out, running down the hall to his door. She finds it ajar and peeks inside, hand on her weapon.

"Beckett, is that you? Come in," he practically begs.

She takes one more glance inside and seeing no immediate danger, walks in.

"I'm here. What's wrong, Castle? You had me worried."

"_That_ is what's wrong," he says, his gaze fixed across the room.

Beckett turns around and comes face to face with a little boy sitting inside a portable playpen.

"Who's child is that?" she asks, unable to tear her gaze away. The eyes are what capture her. They're Castle's eyes.

"He's apparently mine," Castle tells her, his words coming out in short, panicked bursts.

"Yours?" she asks weakly, even though she can see that just by looking at the little boy. "How? When? Who? I don't understand."

"My reaction exactly. I'm still not quite understanding," he says, rising to refill his drink. "The news hasn't quite soaked in yet."

Beckett looks at Castle, then at the baby, then back to Castle again. They both look so sad and miserable. She knows she has to do something for them both. Castle is a big boy, so she goes over to the playpen to check on the baby.

"Hi there, Little Guy," she says softly. "What's your name?"

"Tyler," Castle answers. "His name is Tyler. And that's about all I know about him."

"Let's just calm down and relax. We'll figure this out, okay?"

She tries to give Castle a small smile of reassurance and is relieved to see his small smile in return.

"Hi Tyler," she says to the baby. She reaches in to run her hands through his hair and is shocked when the boy lifts his arms out to her. His eyes turn watery and she can't resist lifting him out of the playpen. He wraps his arms around her neck and lays his head on her shoulder.

"He's shaking, Castle. Poor thing is terrified," she scolds. "Why did you leave him in there this whole time?"

She rubs the baby's back and gently rocks him, whispering comforting words to him.

"It's going to be okay, Baby," she coos, shooting Castle another annoyed look. "Check his bag. He needs a new diaper and he's probably hungry. Let's get him comfortable and settled and then you can start explaining."

"I'll change him," Castle offers after finding the diapers in the bag. "I'm an old pro at diapers. Let's go, Buddy."

Castle takes Tyler from Beckett and goes into the bedroom to use the bed as a changing surface. Beckett watches them disappear through the door and lets out a deep breath. Never in a million years would she have foreseen this. When she came back, she didn't expect a perfect path to happiness. But this is a hurdle she never imagined. A child. Castle's child. She's not entirely sure what this means for them.

"He's asleep," Castle says when he steps out of the room about 10 minutes later. "I left him on the bed. We'll keep the door open to listen for him."

Castle goes to fix another drink and offers Beckett one. When she declines, he also decides against the drink. It's time to start thinking clearly so they can figure out what to do. He sits next to her on the couch, leaning his head against the back.

"So, a kid, huh?"

"Yeah," Castle laughs, but not in an amused way. "A kid. I wasn't expecting Gina to deliver that little bomb on my doorstep."

"Gina?" Beckett asks, surprised.

"You sound shocked," Castle says bitterly. "Like I can have any number of women dropping kids off at my door at anytime."

"I didn't mean it that way," she says gently, taking his hand in hers. "Hey, it's okay, Castle. I know this is a shock and an adjustment, but it's going to be okay."

"Is it? I mean, you didn't sign on for this. If you want out …"

"Did I say I wanted out? I'm still here, aren't I? It's not as if you cheated on me. Tyler is almost 2 years old. That's before we were together."

"28 months ago," he says, repeating Gina's words to him. "28 months ago was the best and worst day of my life."

"That was around the time the two of you broke up, right?"

"About 2 months after," Castle corrects her. "That was the day we found and defused that nuclear bomb. Our teamwork at his best. I was on such a high. I felt invincible. I just wanted to celebrate life."

"How did you end up with Gina?"

"She was there," he shrugs. "Simple as that. She was there and you weren't. You had Josh. I had no one. After what we had been through in that freezer and again with the bomb, I just needed someone."

"I was always there for you, Castle."

"Not that night," he shakes his head. "I went to your apartment, but Josh answered. He said you were in the tub. We had words. Let's just leave it at that."

"I'm sorry," she apologizes.

"Bad timing," he shrugs again. "Isn't that how it always is with us? If it's not an ex, it's a job. If it's not a job, it's a long lost child you never knew about being dropped on your doorstep. And you know the worst part, Beckett? She just left him here. Who does that?"

"What exactly happened?"

"Gina called earlier this week telling me she needed to see me. I assumed it was an official meeting. I hadn't exactly been prolific with my book submissions. I figured they were sending her to fire me. But after your visit, I was able to write. I wrote so much and it was good. Probably the best Nikki Heat ever."

"But she wasn't here about work," Beckett guesses.

"She walked in with this baby and tells me it's mine. She tells me she never wanted him and that she only had him because by the time she realized she was pregnant, it was too late for an abortion. And now, she has this prince wanting to marry her. But the kid isn't part of the deal. So she brings him to me."

"Why didn't she tell you about him before this?" Beckett wonders.

"She claims she tried. And to be fair, it's possible she did try to tell me. All this was happening around the same time as your shooting. Every day for me was spent either looking into your case, dealing with last minute revisions for the book release, or waiting for your call. I pretty much ignored anything else."

"She should have tried harder," Beckett insists, shaking her head. "Poor Tyler. I can't imagine a mother not wanting her own child. Now he has no one."

"He has me," Castle declares. "I hope I can say he has us."

The hesitation and doubt in his eyes nearly breaks her heart. She has to do something to reassure him.

"See this ring?" She lifts up her hand. "When you gave this ring to me, it was like saying you accepted all of me. When I wear this ring, it's saying I accept all of you. Everything, Castle. Your job, your lifestyle, your quirks, your mother, Alexis. And now Tyler. He's now as much mine as he is yours."

"You're amazing," he says, smiling at her. "I know I should try harder to give you a way out of this, but I can't. I'm not strong enough to do this alone."

"You won't have to," she promises, leaning in to kiss him.

He wraps his arms around her and pulls her down until she's on his lap. He flips her over on her back and lands on top of her, causing her to giggle. He's just about to press a kiss to her throat when he happens to look up and see Tyler standing there.

"No," the boy whimpers, his face scrunching up in tears. He starts to push at Castle's shoulder.

"Get off me, Castle," Beckett says, trying to hold in a giggle.

Castle is confused, but complies. When Beckett sits up, Tyler reaches his arms out for her and she happily picks him up. Again, he wraps his arms around her neck and lays his head on her shoulder.

"He must have thought you were hurting me," she laughs, holding the baby close, whispering to him. "It's okay, Sweetie. I got you."

"The first thing you're learning, Kid, is how to share. Daddy needs some Kate time too," Castle scowls.

That makes Beckett laugh even harder.

"Well, Kate and Tyler need some food. Maybe you want to go out and get us something to eat?" she suggests.

"Fine," he sighs, standing up to get his shoes and keys. "But don't think this means you've won, Kid."

The gentle kiss he places first on Kate's lips, then on Tyler's forehead, belies any annoyance he pretended to feel. He gives them one more smile before walking out the door. Once outside, he lets out a deep breath as the magnitude of the situation finally hits him. An image fills his head of his son resting easily in the arms of his fiancé. A very strange image seeing as how he had neither a week ago. He can't seem to make sense of it all or how he's feeling about any of it. He begins wandering the street, not really knowing where he's going. He just needs time to think. He can only pray Beckett will forgive him when he returns.

x.x.x.x.x

* * *

More A/N ... my timeline for the pregnancy is based on episode air dates.

January 10, 2011 - Air date of Poof, You're Dead when Castle and Gina break up

February 28, 2011 - Air date of Countdown when, according to my fic, Castle and Gina have ONS

Summer of 2011 - Beckett's shooting/recovery, release of Heat Rises

July 2011 - Gina goes to Europe to work for European Branch of Black Pawn, where she meets her Prince. It's also why nobody knows she's pregnant

November of 2011 - Tyler is born

Hope that clears some things up.

Thanks for reading and commenting.


	6. Chapter 5

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

**CHAPTER ****5**

An hour after Castle leaves, Beckett starts to worry. Two hours later, she's found something else to feed Tyler and has put him to bed. Three hours later, she's ready to send out the troops to find him. Instead, she calls the one person she's always been able to talk to about her Castle issues.

"Hey, it's me," is all she says into the phone.

"Kate?" Lanie asks, not expecting the phone call from her friend.

"Did you get another best friend while I was gone?" she teases.

"Well, it's just I haven't seen this number pop up on my phone in a while," Lanie says, attitude creeping into her voice. "I haven't gotten a call from it in over a month."

"I know," Beckett admits. "I'm sorry."

"I know. That's why I forgive you. So, what's going on? How's DC?"

"It was fine when I left it this afternoon. I'm actually back in New York for the weekend. I came to visit Castle."

The line is silent for a moment.

"I take it things between you two are … better?" Lanie asks hopefully.

"Things are perfect," Beckett says, unable to keep the smile off her face when she looks at her engagement ring. Then she remembers why she called Lanie and her smile disappears again. "At least, things _were_ perfect."

"Already, Kate? You've only been in town a couple of hours. What could you have done?"

"Me?" Beckett squeaks out indignantly. Then she remembers Tyler sleeping and lowers her voice. "Why do you think this is all my fault? Nevermind. Don't answer that."

Even Beckett realizes she has the tendency to blow things with Castle from time to time. It's only fair Lanie assume the same this time.

"This time, neither of us is to blame, really. Castle's just … out right now. Clearing his head. It's hard to explain. Can you just come over? You really have to see it to believe it."

Lanie hesitates, seeing the late hour, but is overruled by her curiosity.

It takes her nearly 45 minutes to get to Castle's place. Her soft knock on the door is answered almost immediately by Beckett.

"Hey!" Beckett smiles, pulling her friend in for a hug before letting her inside. "I've missed you so much. You look amazing. Javy still putting a smile on your face?"

"More often than not," Lanie admits. "We're still dancing around each other, not trying to get too serious. But things are pretty good."

Lanie gives Beckett an inspection of her own and grins when she notices the added jewelry.

"Not as good as with you and Castle, obviously," she says, taking Beckett's hand to examine the ring. "You're wearing it. He proposed again?"

"And I said yes. Obviously I said yes," she adds, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment and excitement. "I can't believe how giddy and goofy it makes me feel."

"That's happiness, Boo. You're finally getting the happiness you and Castle deserve. It took you two long …"

Beckett realizes the moment Lanie notices Tyler when she stops talking mid sentence.

"Is that … a baby?" Lanie asks.

"Castle's," Beckett sighs.

Lanie's eyes and mouth open wide in shock.

"Castle's?"

"Castle's."

"Wow," is all Lanie can say.

Beckett explains all she learned from Castle just a few hours earlier about how Tyler came to be. And again, Lanie is rendered speechless.

All the talking must have woken Tyler, because his head pokes up over the side of the playpen. He looks around and when his eyes land on Beckett, he lifts his arms to her. Still unable to resist him, she moves to pick him up into her own arms.

"Aww, he's so cute," Lanie comments. She reaches out to stroke his cheek. He gives her a shy smiles, but burrows deeper into Beckett's embrace. "How old is he?"

"Like 18 or 19 months. I'm not sure," Beckett shrugs. "He'll be 2 in November."

"Look at how he's holding on to you," Lanie coos. "So adorable."

"Yeah, he's a little attached to me for some reason," Beckett comments. But she holds him closer, as if to shield him from some imaginary danger. Without even realizing it, she drops a light kiss on the top of his head.

"That attachment seems to be mutual," Lanie notes with some amusement.

"What?" Beckett asks, oblivious to what Lanie is suggesting.

"Nothing," Lanie laughs, shaking her head. "It's just, you seem to be a natural with him, that's all. You two have formed a bond already. It's sweet."

"Castle and I are all he has now," Beckett explains.

"What does that mean? You two are going to keep him and raise him? Are you going to be his mother?"

"Slow down, Lanie," Beckett stops her, getting uncomfortable by the use of the 'M' word. "I'm nobody's mother."

Tyler starts to drift off again, so she puts him back in the playpen. After a few moment of her rubbing his back, he goes back to sleep, thumb in mouth.

"Could've fooled me," Lanie mutters to herself.

"What?" Beckett asks again, still oblivious to her natural maternal instincts concerning Tyler.

Lanie just laughs and shakes her head. For such a smart woman, it amazes Lanie how clueless Kate Beckett can be at times.

"So what about Gina?" Lanie finally asks when her amusement dies down. "What if she comes back for him? And how could Castle not know she was pregnant? Somebody had to know."

"I don't know, Lanie," Beckett sighs. "All this happened around the time of my shooting and Castle says it's possible she tried to tell him then, but he just wasn't paying attention. I can't tell you anymore than that. I don't know what's going on. All this _just_ happened. And Castle's not even here ... Things are just crazy right now."

"But can you handle the crazy? Are you in this with Castle and Tyler? For the long haul?"

"Of course. I told you. Tyler needs us. I wouldn't leave Castle over something like this."

"But does Castle know that? Kate, he's probably afraid you're going to leave again."

"You really think so?" Beckett asks, frowning at the thought of Castle having doubts.

"Honey, I'm afraid it's probably going to be like that for him for awhile. Your leaving to go to DC crushed him. And even though you've accepted his marriage proposal, it's going to take a lot for him to believe you mean it."

The door opens, cutting off any response Beckett was going to make. Castle walks in and pauses at the door when he sees Lanie on the couch with Beckett.

"I think I should get going," Lanie says, suddenly uncomfortable. "That's a good looking kid you got, Castle. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Lanie," he says, holding the door for her as she passes through. When he closes it behind her, he takes a deep breath, preparing to make his apology to Beckett for being gone for so long. He's surprised to see Beckett hauling Tyler out the playpen and moving towards the bedroom.

"Can you bring that playpen in here, Castle? He can sleep in the room with us until we can get a nursery set up for him."

"Beckett?" he calls out to her, confused by her words and actions. After another stunned moment, he grabs the playpen and follows her into the bedroom. She points to a spot in the corner and he sets it up there, watching in awe as she gently, and expertly, lays his son down.

"I know this isn't ideal, but I'd be more comfortable keeping him close tonight," she explains. "He's been kind of restless and I don't want him to wake up alone."

"Beckett," he tries again. "We need to talk."

She sighs and walks over to him.

"Let me go first," she says, shocking him when she simply rises on her toes to kiss him. She kisses him thoroughly and soundly and leaves him more than a little bit breathless. "I love you. I plan on marrying you and spending the rest of my life with you. Nothing can or will change that."

"But what about Tyler? His arrival was ... unexpected."

"_Whatever happens. Whatever I decide_. Isn't that what you said when you proposed to me?"

He just nods.

"Same goes for me, Castle. Whatever happens, I'm in this with you."

He decides to go with his heart and believe her. A smile crosses his face as a sigh of relief escapes.

"I had this whole speech planned. I was going to try to do the right thing and let you go. This has to be more than what you signed on for."

"A life with you? A family with you? That's exactly what I signed on for," she assures him.

"But …"

"Stop thinking," she orders, putting her finger up to his lips to quiet him. "I'm not going anywhere. I already tried running, remember? That didn't last long. I just can't not be with you."

She gives him another kiss, running her hands up and down his chest.

"We can't start this," he mumbles through her kisses. "Not with Tyler in here."

"Then let's go in your office. I seem to remember there's a nice, cushy sofa in there that we christened a couple months ago."

They tip toe out the room to avoid waking Tyler. Beckett has to stifle her giggles when Castle stubs his toe on the door jamb.

"Poor baby. Want me to kiss it and make it better?" she purrs seductively.

"Another time," he growls, slamming her back against the door in his office. "I have better things for you to kiss."

This time he kisses her. Neither lets the other up for air until they've made up for all the time they've lost.

x.x.x.x.x.x

The rest of the weekend goes by in a blur. They spend most of it shopping for the basics for Tyler. They get him a crib, stroller, high chair, clothes, and some toys. They decide to set up a formal nursery and play room on Beckett's next visit so she could have some input on the decor.

They do a quick video chat with Alexis to introduce her to her new baby brother. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She's not unhappy about getting new sibling. She's just having a hard time processing the news. She gives her father a disappointing glare before signing off, teasingly asking him if they need to have "the talk" again to remind him to be more careful.

Sunday evening finally rolls around and Castle and Tyler take Beckett to the airport.

"You sure you have to leave today?" Castle asks.

"Yeah," Beckett sighs, giving Tyler a squeeze. "The next phase of our training starts tomorrow. We get paired up with experienced agents so we can learn the procedural things that will be on the exam."

"When is the exam?"

"A few more weeks. Not long to prepare."

They reach her gate and Beckett hands Tyler over to Castle so she can make sure her carryon bag is situated how she wants.

"Do you need this weekend to study or can Tyler and I still come up?" Castle asks her.

"No!" she says, almost panicking at the thought of them not coming. "You two have to come up. You're coming on Thursday, right?"

"We should be there by the time you get done with work for the day," Castle assures her.

They call her flight over the speaker and Castle leans over to kiss her.

"Tyler, say bye bye to Kate," Castle prompts the child.

"Bye, my sweet boy," Beckett says, kissing Tyler on the cheek. She runs her hand through his dark, curly hair and then down his cheek. "Be good for Daddy."

Tyler scrunches up his face and his eyes start to fill with water. Before they realize what's happening, he bursts into tears, reaching desperately towards Beckett.

"What's wrong with him, Castle?" she asks, her eyes wide open in shock and panic at the wails coming from the boy. It's the most noise he's made since his arrival. She automatically reaches her arms to get him, but Castle backs away.

"He'll be fine. He's just now realizing that you're going away."

Castle hugs Tyler closer and pats his back to soothe him.

"It's okay, Buddy. We're going to see her in a couple of days."

Tyler continues to cry and try to reach for Beckett.

"Don't do this, Baby," she whispers, her own eyes starting to tear up. The takes his little hand in her own and kisses it. "Castle, what do we do?"

"Try to smile and wave good bye," Castle coaches her. "I'm going to back away and leave so he won't think you're the one leaving. Trust me, he'll be okay. He'll cry a bit, but he'll be happy to see you again. It's just a few days."

They call her flight again, reminding her that general boarding is beginning.

"Bye Tyler," she waves as she pastes on a fake smile for the baby's sake. "I'll see you soon."

Castle smiles and waves and leaves with Tyler. Beckett feels like her heart goes with them.

"First time leaving your son?"

Beckett turns to see an older woman standing next to her, holding a tissue. Beckett takes it and dries the tears she didn't realize were falling.

"He's not …" Beckett starts to explain, but then stops herself. She's crying over saying good bye to Tyler. What else is the woman going to think except that Tyler is hers. She doesn't need to explain otherwise.

"Yes," Beckett says instead. "That was harder than I thought it would be."

"I bet you never saw yourself with kids. You seem like the type to put career above all else. That's not an insult," the lady adds quickly when she sees the fire flash in Beckett's eyes. "I was that same type not so long ago."

"What changed you?" Beckett asks warily.

"My kids," the lady says with a big smile. "Motherhood changes you. Your whole world becomes centered around that little person looking up at you with those innocent eyes like you're the most important person in their world. Because to them, you are."

"So will he start to hate me for leaving him?" Beckett can't help but worry.

"He's so young. He'll get used to it," the woman says reassuringly before turning to go board the plane.

"He may get used to it," Beckett says to herself. "But will I?"

She glances once more in the direction Castle and Tyler walked off before letting out a sigh and boarding the plane. Thursday suddenly seems a lot farther away.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Beckett calls Castle as soon as she gets back to her apartment in DC to let him know she arrived safely.

"How's Tyler?" she asks, almost before saying hello.

"He's fine. I fed him, bathed him, read him a story, and he went right to sleep."

"Oh," she says, part relieved but also part disappointed.

Castle just laughs, recognizing her tone.

"What's so funny?" she scowls into the phone.

"You are," he chuckles. "On the one hand, you're glad to know that leaving him didn't traumatize him for life. But at the same time, you're kind of disappointed he's already gotten over it."

"Is that bad of me?" she asks.

"It's normal," he assures her. "I went through the same thing when I dropped Alexis off at preschool for the first time. I cried like a baby while she was running that classroom like a boss. Don't worry, he still misses you. He's been looking around the penthouse for you, but he's settled for letting me hold him since he can't find you."

"God, Castle. He's just the sweetest baby I've ever met. The moment I first held him … I can't even explain it," she says.

"Instant love," Castle finishes for her. "I know the feeling. It was like that when I first held Alexis. I think that's why I just stared at Tyler when he first showed up. I couldn't touch him because I know when I did, I wouldn't ever want to let him go."

She just nods, not even realizing she's doing it and that Castle can't see her.

"I should get going," she finally says. "I need to unpack and get ready for work tomorrow. Give Tyler a kiss for me, okay?"

"I promise," he says with a smile, his heart filling with joy at the evidence of this woman he loves falling more and more in love with his son. "Love you."

"I love you too, Castle."

She hangs up quickly before she's tempted to stay on the line longer with him. She really does have things to do. So the unexpected knock at the door both surprises and irritates her. She doesn't really have time for this.

"Who is it?" she calls out.

"FBI," a deep, muffled voice answers.

She grabs her gun and moves to the door to look out the peep hole. A badge is held up for her inspection. She suddenly remembers the agent she's supposed to be working with for the next few weeks. This must be the guy paying an early visit. That's good. She wanted some time to size him up before having to officially work with him. He must have wanted to do the same.

She opens the door wide, a friendly smile on her face that quickly fades to confusion.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asks when she sees who's on the other side of her door.

"Is that any way to greet your new partner, Kate."

"_You're_ my new partner?"

She stares in disbelief at the grinning Will Sorenson.

"I did _not _see this coming," she mutters.

x.x.x.x.x.x

* * *

A/N ... fear not. I hate love triangles. Will isn't here for that. What is he here for, though? I guess we'll find out soon enough ... NTM


	7. Chapter 6

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

**CHAPTER ****6**

"So, can I come in or what?" Will Sorenson asks from the doorway.

"Of course," Beckett says, moving out of his way after a moment's pause. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you. This is a surprise."

"A good one, I hope," Will smiles.

That remains to be seen, Beckett thinks to herself. But she pastes on a smile for Will's sake.

"You still never told me what you're doing here," she reminds him, offering him a seat. Once he sits on the couch, she sits in the chair across the room from him. "How is it that we're now partners? I didn't even realize you were working for this branch of the bureau."

"Well, I was in the hospital when we last saw each other," he reminds her. "I needed a change of pace after I got out. I've been with this group since then."

Sounds plausible enough, she figures. But there's just something about this that's rubbing her the wrong way. She can't put her finger on it just yet. But being here with Will Sorenson has her feeling ill at ease. It's possible their past relationship may have something to do with it. Maybe she's just uncomfortable working closely with him after all they've been through. Maybe she's just uncomfortable working with an ex now that she's engaged to Castle. Whatever the reason, the unsettled feeling has her keeping everything close to the vest. When he asks, she doesn't tell him anything about Castle or her private life. Something is telling her to keep that to herself for now. She'll re-evaluate later, once she gets a clearer picture of what's going on with Will. But for right now, she can't shake the feeling that something with him is just …. off.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

On Tuesday, Castle gets ready for his baseball night with Jim. They had to cancel the previous week, which worked out for the best. That was the day Beckett came back and accepted his proposal. He wouldn't have traded that day for anything. But Castle can admit he's missed the time with Jim. After having met his own father so briefly, Castle began to miss what he never had. Without even trying, Jim has filled the void. So it comes to no surprise to Castle that he's nervous to introduce Tyler to the man.

"Rick," Jim greets cheerfully at the door when Castle opens it. The men briefly embrace.

"Good to see you, Jim. How have you been?" Castle invites the man inside, closing the door behind him.

"Ecstatic. I hear you're about to make an honest woman out of my baby girl," Jim teases him. "Katie told me you two were getting married."

"By some miracle, I was finally able to convince her," Castle laughs. "Something to drink?"

Castle goes to the kitchen and grabs a couple cans of soda from the fridge. He also has a sippy cup filled with juice. He sets them on the table then goes to get Tyler. Something like this really needs to be seen rather than explained.

"Which one of us is drinking that?" Jim asks, chuckling at the Monsters University characters decorating the cup.

"It's not for either of us," Castle calls out from the bedroom. He comes out holding a sleepy baby in his arms. "It's for him."

Jim's eyes widen momentarily, but he recovers quickly.

"And who is this little guy?"

"This is my son, Tyler," Castle tells him, bracing himself for the reaction.

"Your son," Jim says, clearly stunned. And slightly judgmental. "Does Katie know?"

"We both found out about him over the weekend," Castle explains.

He sits on the couch next to Jim, grabbing the cup of juice off the table to give to Tyler. With the boy situated comfortably on his lap, Castle explains the long story.

"Thinking of this from a purely legal sense, are you sure he's yours?" Jim asks after Castle finishes outlining it all for him.

"My lawyer asked the exact same question. We're working on getting a DNA test and also the birth certificate for Tyler. Once we're sure everything is as it should be, we're going to work on making sure everything is legal. I mean, I don't think Gina is coming back for him. She never would have left him in the first place if she was, right? But what if she does? Do I have the right to keep Tyler from her? Can she take him away from us?"

"I can't answer that," Jim says apologetically. "But I can assure you that you're taking the proper steps to protect your son. How did Katie take all of this?"

"Better than I did, believe it or not," Castle tells him. "To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I couldn't process it. But Kate went right over to him, picked him up, and gave him all the love and affection he's probably never gotten in his life. He even cried when we dropped her off at the airport. He's crazy about her already."

"Katie always was good with kids," Jim smiles, taking a closer look at Tyler.

A good looking kid, Jim notes. Dark curly hair. Eyes like Castle. But such a sadness in him for such a small child. He can see how this little boy has already captured his daughter's heart.

The phone rings and Castle leaves Tyler on the couch with Jim to go answer it. When he gets back, he notices the two getting along like old friends. Tyler has moved into Jim's lap and is wearing his ball cap. Tyler is smiling at Jim's phone.

"A picture of Katie is on there," Jim explains. "He was getting kind of upset and it calmed him when I pulled it out."

"I told you. He adores her," Castle says, shaking his head. "And she probably won't admit it, but the feeling is mutual. But mention the word 'mother' to her, and she freaks out."

"Just give her time," Jim says, tickling Tyler and making him laugh. "Your mama will get used to being your mama."

"Mama?" Tyler says holding up the phone with Beckett's picture.

"That's right, Buddy. That's Mama," Jim encourages him.

Castle wants to correct him, but he doesn't. Maybe hearing the words from Tyler's mouth will be what she needs to accept what her heart already knows. No, he won't stop Jim. He's going to help.

"Who's that, Tyler?" Castle asks, joining in the game.

"Mama!" Tyler proudly shows Castle the picture of Beckett.

"Aww, your Mama is so pretty, Tyler," Castle says.

"Pretty Mama!" Tyler repeats.

"She's going to kill you, you know," Castle points out to Jim once Tyler has drifted off, the phone with the picture of his 'Mama' firmly gripped in his chubby little hand.

"I'll deny it," Jim laughs. "And blame it on you."

After the baseball game is over, Jim helps Castle clean up the mess from the food before walking to the door.

"But in all seriousness, congratulations. Tyler is a beautiful child. I'm sure you and Katie will be wonderful parents to him. And thanks for making me a grandpa finally."

"No, thank you," Castle corrects him. "For accepting him. This could be awkward, you know? Me about to marry your daughter and some long lost son popping up out of nowhere."

After Jim is gone and Tyler is tucked into his bed, Castle takes out his own phone. During the night, he had taken pictures of Tyler with Jim. Family pictures, Castle thinks with a smile. Slowly but surely his family is becoming more and more complete. Tyler might have been a surprise, but he's turned out to be a good one. He thought Tyler would drive Beckett away, but in a weird way, he seems to be just what the reluctant woman needed to fully commit. And one day, one day very soon, whether in DC or in New York, they're all going to be together. For a writer, he never necessarily believed in the happily ever after. But now, he's realized he's about to get his.


	8. Chapter 7

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

* * *

**CHAPTER ****7**

Sorenson tries to talk her into going out for drinks after the group study session on Thursday. But she turns him down, anxious to get home to prepare for Castle's arrival. She's been waiting all week to see him and Tyler. She's not about to wait longer. Playing nice with her new partner is going to have to take a back seat.

Partner. She's still trying to get used to that interesting turn of events. And she can't wait to see Castle's face when she tells him about her new partner. She's avoided the inevitable conversation any time they spoke on the phone this week, but she knows she can't keep it from him. She's interested to see if his reaction is similar to her own or of she's overreacting for whatever reason.

When she lets herself into her apartment, she's glad she managed to shake off Sorenson and that he didn't come back to her apartment with her like he's been trying to do every night this week.

"Castle!" she practically squeals, dropping her stuff by the door and running to him. She jumps into his arms and they kiss as if it's been months, rather than days, that they've seen each other.

"Mama!" she hears from across the room. She looks over to see Tyler practically jumping out of his playpen calling her. "Mama! Mama!"

She's shocked motionless.

"He's calling you," Castle whispers in her ear, nudging her still form towards the boy. "Go get your baby."

"Castle, I'm not his mother," she says sadly, almost regrettably.

"To him, you are. What else matters?"

All doubts are erased from her mind when she looks at Tyler and sees what the lady at the airport was talking about. A look of utter adoration shines from Tyler's eyes and it's aimed right at her. Right now, she is his whole world. And all he wants is her love in return. Thankfully, he's an easy baby to love.

"Hi my beautiful boy," she says, her voice shaky with emotion. Hearing him call her 'mama' clenched her heart in the most unexpected way. She's not entirely sure what to think or how to act. She decides to do what she normally does. She walks over to him and pulls him into her arms.

"Pretty Mama," Tyler says, wrapping his arms around her neck in a way that tells her he's not letting go soon.

"He missed you," Castle smiles, watching the sweet scene play out in front of him.

"I missed him too," she tells him, sprinkling random kisses on Tyler's cheeks and forehead. "I missed both of you. It's been a crazy week. I'm glad you're both here."

"Crazy in what way?"

"Let's just say _your_ ex isn't the only one cropping up out of nowhere with shocking news," she says. "Guess who my new partner is?"

It just takes a few seconds for it all to sink in for Castle. His mouth drops wide open in shock.

"Sorenson?"

"The one and only," Beckett confirms.

"How has it been?" Castle asks carefully, not sure what he wants to know regarding his fiancé and her ex-boyfriend working together.

"Honestly? It's weird," she admits. "And I'm not sure in what sense. Maybe it's so strange because we used to date. Maybe it's weird because I know him from New York and this is DC. But it's also more than that. Castle, isn't it kind of … odd, that Will shows up like this?"

"It is a coincidence," he nods.

"It's more than that," Beckett insists. "It just feels like more than a coincidence. I mean, Will admitted that he saw my name on the roster and pulled some strings to switch with the agent I was initially supposed to be paired with. But him being here and being a part of this program seems more than a coincidence."

Castle just sits, silently mulling it over.

"Tell me I'm not crazy," she begs him.

Tyler starts to get restless, so she sets him down so he can run around and play freely. She keeps an eye on him to make sure he doesn't knock anything over, but she's spent the past week baby proofing her place. It should be safe enough for him to move around as he pleases.

"If your gut is telling you something is off, then I say you should listen to it," Castle tells her. "This all could just be one major coincidence. But if you feel something isn't right, then keep your eyes open. I can't say that I'm sad you don't trust your ex."

"Ha ha," she says. "I figured you wouldn't be upset about that. Not that anything would be going on with Will and me. We're together now, Castle."

"I know, but does Will know?"

"Not yet," Beckett admits. "I didn't feel right telling him. But, I've been making it more than clear that there's not going to be anything but a professional partnership between us."

She rises on her knees, lifting one over to the other side of his thighs to settle onto his lap.

"I have all the man I need right here," she whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in to kiss him. In his arms, she feels safe and protected from the outside world. All thoughts of her odd partnership with Sorenson melt away. She decides to just enjoy her family and worry about all that later.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"How was this first week with her?"

Sorenson knows he wasn't followed, but he looks over his shoulder anyway to make sure they're alone.

"About as good as can be expected. She's always been the careful sort. I didn't expect her to just jump back into bed with me. It's going to take a while before she trusts me again."

The man nods, his profile only visible because of the red glow of the tip of the cigarette he's smoking.

"Keep working on that. You must get her under your complete control. If there's anything, or anyone, blocking your path, get rid of it."

"Yes Sir," Sorenson says, but realizes he's speaking to empty space.

The man is gone.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

When he gets back home in New York, Castle decides to do a little digging on his own. Beckett's concerns about Sorenson gets him thinking that maybe she's right after all. Maybe there's more to this whole DC thing than either of them realize. He doesn't have the access he needs, but he knows of someone who might be able to help.

An hour later, he's at the 12th precinct, pushing Tyler off the elevator in his stroller. He has his 'bribes' in his sack, in case he needs them. But hopefully, he won't need them.

"Mr. Castle," is the first thing he hears when walking through the bullpen. He lets out an exasperated sigh. He didn't plan on running into the captain right away.

"Captain Gates," he says cheerfully, putting on a smile that hopefully won't irritate the woman right off the bat. Just seeing him is usually enough to set her off. But, it's been awhile. Maybe she's mellowed.

"What are you doing back in my precinct?"

Maybe not, Castle thinks to himself.

"I just missed you all. I thought we could …"

"Mr. Castle, is that child?" she interrupts him, looking down at Tyler in his stroller. "Why did you bring a child into my precinct?"

But her actions completely contradict the strict tone in her voice. Even as she's speaking and glaring at Castle, she's down next to Tyler, unbuckling him from his stroller. She lifts him into her arms and easily sets him on her hip.

"Hey there, little man. Who are you?" she asks with a sweet smile.

"This is Tyler, my son," Castle explains, earning a raised eyebrow from Captain Gates.

"Son? Wow, I see you wasted no time once Beckett left town," she scowls at him. "Or, is this the reason she agreed to take the job?"

"It's not what you think. Beckett knows all about him," Castle swears. "Tyler was a surprise to us both, but we're dealing with it."

"Right," Gates says, still doubtful.

She looks over his shoulder to see Ryan and Esposito coming up behind him.

"I assume you're here to see those two," she nods in the approaching men's direction. "How about Tyler visits with me in my office while you talk to them about whatever it is you need to talk about."

"Are you sure?" Castle asks. "I didn't bring him here for a babysitter. He's pretty quiet and won't be any trouble to keep him with me."

"I don't mind," Gates smiles, burying her nose in his curly hair and taking a deep breath. "Mmm, I forget how good they smell. It's been awhile since I've held one this little."

She turns and walks into her office with Tyler. The three men just stare in shocked disbelief after her.

"Give a woman a baby and she just gets all mushy," Esposito says, shaking his head almost in disdain.

"Then you better watch out," Castle teases him. "Lanie was over the other night and she seemed pretty mushy around Tyler. She might be wanting one of her own soon."

"Don't even play like that, Bro," Espo snaps, causing Ryan and Castle to laugh.

"How about you, Ryan? How's Jenny?"

"She's at the halfway mark," Ryan explains proudly. "She's beautiful and she's loving being pregnant. I love seeing her blossom every day."

"Blossom? Bro, she's huge," Espo laughs, not noticing the wide eyed stare in Castle's eyes as he tries to shake his head in warning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryan asks.

"Nothing," Espo says quickly, realizing the error of his ways. "Anyway, Castle. What brings you by?"

"Two things," Castle starts. "First, I wanted to give you this."

He hand both of them an envelope filled with a clipped pile of papers.

"What is this?" Ryan asks.

"Just a book proposal right now. But it's been accepted by my publisher, so what you're holding in your hands is the outline for my next novel starring a pair of detectives. One is an undercover cop who single handedly took down the Irish mafia. The other is …"

"A guy named Gonzales," Espo smiles, remembering the teasing comment he made to Castle a few months earlier. "This is about me and Ryan."

"I figured it was past time," Castle shrugs. "I've learned as much from you two as I have from Beckett. I thought it fitting you two get your own book."

"This is nice," Ryan smiles, giving Castle a man hug.

"Really nice," Espo agrees. "But this isn't all you came down here for. What's up?"

"It's about Beckett," he tells them, explaining her suspicions about Sorenson. By the time he's finished laying out the whole story, they're more than halfway convinced she's onto something.

"We'll look into him," Ryan offers. "We'll have to keep it a small scale search so we won't alert anyone we're checking into him. But we'll see what he's been up to the past few years."

"Will Sorenson," Espo says, shaking his head. "What are the chances?"

"Exactly. What _are _the chances?" Castle wonders aloud. "That's what we're trying to figure out."

"We may not be her partners anymore, but we still got her back," Ryan assures him. "We won't let her get hurt."

Castle leaves the precinct feeling much better. Whatever Sorenson is up to, they're going to figure it out. He just hopes they can figure it out before it's too late.


	9. Chapter 8

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

**CHAPTER 8**

Beckett tries to sneak another glance at her watch. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe she should stop sneaking peeks at the time and do it out in the open. Maybe then Sorenson will get the hint and realize they've gone way beyond end of the day.

"You keep checking the time," Sorenson says with some amusement.

Beckett blushes when she realizes she wasn't being as sneaky as she thought.

"Got a hot date or something?"

"Shut up, Sorenson," she chuckles, not wanting to let on how true his words are. She doesn't have a traditional date, but she has plans to talk to Castle and Tyler. Those nightly conversations are the highlight of her life these days. "It's getting late and I'm getting tired. That's why I keep checking the time."

"It's not even dark yet," he laughs. "You're becoming an old woman. You're not having any fun. How about we go out this weekend. I'll show you the city. I don't think you've seen the sights here in DC since you moved."

"I've been here before," she defends herself.

"Yeah, but what have you done since you been here? This is your home now. You should get out more. Every weekend, you disappear back to New York. How about you give DC a chance? Stop trying to live your life back there."

"I have friends and family there," she continues to defend. "My dad's there. And just this past weekend, I went to a baby shower for a dear friend."

Seeing Jenny was good, Beckett thinks to herself with a smile. Pregnancy suits her. She has a feeling this will just be the first of many kids for Ryan. He's as proud and as happy as he can be. It makes Beckett feel good knowing her friends are happy. Almost as happy as she is with Castle and Tyler.

"Kate, you can't keep a foot in both worlds. Maybe it's time to let go New York and the people you left back there. Close connections in our line of work can be dangerous, anyway. What do you think will happen if some of the guys we're chasing find out about dad or someone else you love dearly? They could use him to coerce you to do anything. It'll be all your fault when he gets hurt."

"Coercion?" she asks with plenty of disbelief. "Plenty of cops back home have families and they don't seem concerned about that."

"It's different with us," Sorenson explains. "It's kind of an unwritten rule that we don't make attachments. None of the team are married or involved. No one has kids. That's just how it is for us. Not that it's a concern for you. If I remember correctly, even when we were together, the job came first. Kids and family were never on your radar."

"You're right," she says, faking a smile. But while she's agreeing out loud with him, she's thinking to herself how she's changed - more than even she realized. For one, she has a kid now, for all intents and purposes. Two, if she includes Alexis - even though she's a grown woman. Tyler is her heart now. She's even started to think of the near future and giving him a sibling or two, not wanting him to grow up lonely like she did. She's committed fully to Castle and his family. Plus, she has her dad. And even though she no longer works with them, Espo, Ryan, and Lanie are her family too. She can't just cut ties with them. How could she think to give all that up?

Sorenson is right about the way she used to be. All that mattered was the job because doing the job was her way of finding out what happened to her mother. But now, she's put her mother's murder to rest. She's been able to find some peace and has moved on with her life. She's changed. Why is it she's just now realizing that maybe the job isn't the most important thing. Years ago, when she was dating Will, a job opportunity like this really was her ultimate goal. But thinking of all she left behind, can she still say this is what she wants?

That night, long after she's finally gotten free from Sorenson, she has a nightmare. It starts with Alexis' kidnapping and all she hears is Castle saying how he'll never forgive her if they don't find his daughter. She sees Alexis disappear into a fog or shadow before the crazy dream switches to images of Tyler. He also disappears and this time, Castle is blaming her for the boy being gone. She wakes in a cold sweat, her heart racing. Her mind tries to make sense of being back in reality, but she can't seem to get it together. With a shaky hand, she reaches for her phone and presses a speed dial number.

"Castle?" she says when he picks up.

"Beckett?" His voice is sleepy and it's only then she realizes how late it is. "It's like 3 in the morning. Are you okay?"

The sleepiness in his voice starts to fall away, making room for the panic.

"I …" she starts, not sure how to explain it. "I just needed to hear your voice."

"What happened?" he asks, knowing something is wrong.

"Bad dream," is all she says.

The sound of his voice is comforting and her heart starts to steady.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but …"

"But what? You know you can ask me anything," he promises her.

"Can you check on Tyler? I just need to make sure he's okay."

"Beckett, are you sure nothing happened? You're starting to scare me?"

But while he's speaking, he's getting out of the bed and going to check on Tyler just as she asked. He snaps a picture of the soundly sleeping child and sends it to her.

"Check your messages. I just sent you "proof of life," so to speak."

He means it as a joke, but considering her dream, his comment shakes her up again.

"Don't joke like that," she practically whispers.

When the picture of Tyler comes through, she lets out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. He's safe and her heart beats easier.

"How about Alexis? She good still?"

"Okay, you're really freaking me out," Castle tells her. "What's going on?"

"I told you. I had a horrible dream," she finally admits. "The nightmare started with memories of when Alexis was taken and ended with Tyler being the one taken. It shook me up and I just needed to know they were okay."

"Well, they're both fine," he assures her. "I spoke with Alexis earlier today. She'll be coming home soon."

"That's good," Beckett sighs. The relief she feels is palpable and she thinks that maybe she can actually get back to sleep again. Her babies are safe and sound. For now.

But she can't help but wonder how long will they stay that way if she stays with this job. That question follows her into a restless, but thankfully dreamless, sleep.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

She's almost ashamed, but mostly relieved, the next day to find Castle and Tyler waiting in her living room when she gets home from work.

"Hey," he says, smiling at her from the kitchen where he's making Tyler a snack. The boy leaves his toy trucks on the floor and runs to her when he sees her.

"Hi Baby," Beckett says, pulling Tyler close and holding him tight. After her horrible dreams the night before, having him in her arms just about makes everything better again.

She walks over to Castle to give him a kiss of his own. He puts his arms around her and she just rests her head on his shoulder, relishing this feeling of being complete again.

"Thank you for coming," she says, not even pretending to act like he shouldn't have come. She's so glad he's there and that he brought Tyler. It makes the decision she made seem that more valid.

"I can't do this anymore," she whispers.

She feels the jolt of shock go through his body at her words. She knows he's afraid to ask, but he does anyway.

"You can't do what anymore?"

"This, Castle. This arrangement just isn't working for me. I thought I could do it, but I can't," she sniffs, a few tears starting to track down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."


	10. Chapter 9

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

**CHAPTER 9**

His heart is racing. His palms are sweating. And he feels like he's about to throw up. But whatever she's thinking, he's not letting her go. Not ever. Whatever is broken, they'll fix. He takes her hand and leads her over to the couch to sit. Tyler, sensing something wrong with his mother, curls up on her lap and snuggles into her embrace.

"Beckett, let's take a few steps back and talk about this," he says, his voice shaky. "Just don't rush into a decision to end us. I'll do whatever you need. You need more space? More time? Just name it, it's yours."

She gives him a strange look and notices the green tinge to his skin. He looks physically ill and thinking of the words he just said she realizes he has the wrong idea.

"No, Castle. I'm not leaving you," she assures him. "That's not the arrangement I was talking about. I was talking about this job. I'm done. I'm out. I can't risk feeling for real what I felt last night in that dream. If someone were to ever use you or Tyler or Alexis to get to me, I'd never forgive myself and I don't think I could ever withstand it."

He puts an arm around her shoulder and can feel that she's shaking.

"That dream really shook you up," he realizes. "But that's all it was, Kate. Just a dream."

"A couple months ago it wasn't just a dream," she reminds him. "A couple months ago, we lived through this very nightmare with Alexis being taken. Castle, I can only imagine how you felt because I nearly had a breakdown."

"But the only person to blame for that is the person who took her," he says. "I could easily blame my father for being who he is, but I don't."

"But what if it was someone from one of the cases we worked on? What if Jerry Tyson had taken her in revenge for us stopping his great escape plan? You know we'd both feel guilty then."

She has a point, he realizes.

"But to give up your job? Are you sure? This is something you've been working your entire career for."

"It's just a job," she shrugs. "It's nothing I have an attachment to. I can easily walk away from it. But our family? Never, Castle. There's no walking away from you guys, not anymore. I would literally feel like I was dying without you."

"You're so close, though. Your test is coming up in a couple of days," he reminds her. "How about this. How about you still take the test and see how you do? That way, you may have more options available to you. Maybe they'd let you transfer to a different team or something. Maybe you can transfer to the New York office."

She thinks about it for awhile. The idea has merit. She never considered something like that.

"Besides," he adds. "How else am I going to do any research for the sexy new FBI agent I'm considering writing a book about?"

"You are so crazy," she laughs, feeling much lighter than she did earlier. Castle always has a way of making her feel better. "But what you're saying does makes sense."

It may make sense, but for some reason, she doesn't think it's going to be as easy as that. She still feels uneasy about Will and why he's suddenly shown back up in her life. She has a feeling getting away from this new job will be easier said than done.

But, she'll cross that bridge when she gets to it. For now, she has two of her favorite men cuddled up with her on the couch on a lazy afternoon in DC. And she couldn't be happier.

x.x.x.x.x

"Hmm."

Ryan looks at his screen and tries to click his mouse on the link again. Again, nothing happens.

"This is strange," he finally says to Eposito.

"What's strange? Your porn site down?" Espo jokes.

"You're funny," Ryan says sarcastically. "No, I'm doing that search on Sorenson for Castle and Beckett. At least, I'm _trying _to do a search. I'm hitting a lot of brick walls."

"The guy's a fed," Esposito shrugs. "Maybe that's why?"

"Maybe," Ryan mutters. But he isn't convinced. "I can't even find a basic background on him from the time before he became a fed. There should be something, from school or college or something. Maybe even clips from his days as the local sports hero in his hometown. I'm finding nothing."

"That is odd," Esposito agrees. "But we can't give up. We just keep digging. We need to find something. Beckett is depending on us. We can't let her down, Bro."

x.x.x.x.x

She gets home late the next night after a study session with Will and a couple other agents. With the test the next day, they wanted to make sure they had all their bases covered. Despite what she initially thought when she first took this job, having Castle around is relaxing rather than distracting. She's been able to focus more while at work and not spend the whole day missing him and Tyler, like she does when they're not there. She feels confident about her exam, unlike the rest of her team of incoming recruits. They try to get her to stay longer, but she declines. She's ready to get home to her boys.

"Honey, I'm home," she calls out when she walks into the door, chuckling to herself at the sound of the cliched line.

"We're back here," Castle calls out from the bedroom.

She follows the sound of laughter and heads back there.

"What are you two doing?" she asks, lifting Tyler up into her arms and giving him his daily kisses.

Castle just shakes his head and laughs when Tyler goes into an endless stream of gibberish, he assumes the boy's accounting of their daily activities.

"Really?" Beckett says, as if she's completely interested. "Well, we'll just have to tell Daddy not to buy you that kind of juice anymore, okay?"

Castle is shocked when Tyler just nods his head in agreement.

"You understood what he said?"

"Must be a mom thing," she shrugs, laughing at the perplexed look on his face. "What did you feed him today, anyway? He apparently hated the juice."

"He was a little constipated, so I mixed some prune juice in his apple juice. Worked like charm too," Castle says, his nose wrinkling in remembrance of the diapers he changed.

"Constipated? Is he okay? Is that normal?" Beckett asks, worry evident on her face. "Should we take him to the doctor?"

"Relax," Castle smiles. "Babies get constipated from time to time. He's fine."

Castle has to remind himself that she's only been a mother for a short time. Her worries are kind of cute, though. It amazes him how much she's taken to the role of mother. So much more so than Gina apparently did. Speaking of Gina …

"Hey, guess who I heard from today? Paula," he says, not waiting on her to guess. "I asked her how could she let Gina keep Tyler away from me for as long as she did."

"And what did she say?" Beckett asks. She also wonders how and why the agent kept that secret.

"What baby? That's what she said," Castle explains. "She had no idea Gina was pregnant, let alone with my kid."

"How is that possible?"

"Remember that prince I told you Gina was marrying? She apparently met him in Europe when she went to work for the overseas branch of Black Pawn the summer she was pregnant with Tyler. Nobody here saw her so nobody knew about the baby. She came back to the States to have Tyler and left him with a nanny for the past year and a half while she publicly dated the prince. There's no room for Tyler in that life, so she brought him to me."

"I still don't know whether to be more shocked or appalled by what she did," Beckett says, shaking her head. "But at the same time, how can I judge her when I don't really know what she went through? How do I know I wouldn't do the same thing in her situation?"

"Because you _are_ in her situation," Castle points out to her. "You've had an unexpected child foisted on you and rather than run away to live your own life, you've put your dreams on the back burner because he needs you. You may not have given birth to Tyler, but you're his mother in every sense of the word."

"You think so?"

"I know so," he says, pulling her in for a kiss."

"You think she's coming back for him? What's going to happen if she does?" Beckett worries.

"Honestly? I think you're the only mother he's ever known," Castle says, wrapping his arms around her. "Why else do you think he became so attached to you so quickly? I don't think he got much love and affection from Gina. And you were all too willing to give him what he was craving. She left him, Kate. Not just on our doorstep, but pretty much from the moment of his birth. If she comes back, I'm not letting her have him. And more importantly, I don't think you would either. Between the two of you, my money is on you. Because you have the gun and all."

She giggles, snuggling into his embrace. How she ever thought to live without this man, she'll never know. And everyday she finds herself praying harder and harder that she never finds out.

x.x.x.x.x

"Report."

Will Sorenson jumps slightly at the man stepping out of the shadows and speaking to him. He really should be used to it by now, but every once in awhile he's distracted enough for the man to get the jump on him. He's luckily not the enemy. Otherwise, he'd be dead.

"Nothing to report," Will says. "I tried to coax her to go out with me, but she turned me down. She's not letting me back into her life easily."

"You're going to have to push her," the man says. "The timetable has been moved up and we'll need her in place to do her part. Will she be ready?"

"I can't make any promises. She's not the same woman she was before. She doesn't have the same weaknesses."

"Then find a new weakness. And exploit it," the man orders, before slipping back into the darkness.

He doesn't know how, but he's going to have to find a way into her apartment to take a look around. Maybe he'll find what he's looking for in there. He has to find something soon. Otherwise, he's afraid neither of their lives will be worth much.


	11. Chapter 10

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

**CHAPTER 10**

She's getting used to coming home to laughter and noises of a happy little boy. She walks into the bathroom to find Tyler splashing around, making a mess, while Castle frantically tries to clean up the water on the floor.

"Mama," Tyler laughs.

"That's right, Ty," Castle says. "Mama is going to kill us if we don't get this cleaned up before she gets home. She can't know about this."

"About what?"

Castle freezes and slowly turns around, a sheepish look on his face.

"You're home," he says, trying to hide the big towel behind his back. "Hey, how was the test?"

He leans in to kiss her, hoping to distract her.

"Fine. I passed," she says, purposely trying to look behind his back. "Castle, you hiding something from me?"

"What? Nothing important. Not like your news," he says, changing the subject. "You passed your test! That's great. We need to celebrate."

"Later. What are you two up to?" she asks, eying him suspiciously before changing her focus to the smiling boy in the tub. "What's going on here, Tyler?"

Castle sighs in relief when the baby gives his regular gibberish filled daily account to Beckett. But then he remembers her knack for understanding every word and cringes. He's about to get busted by a two year old.

Fortunately, a knock sounds at the door and Castle uses the distraction to his advantage.

"That's probably the sandwiches I ordered from Booeymonger for dinner," Castle says, all but pushing her out the bathroom. "Why don't you go pay the delivery guy while Tyler and I finish up in here."

"Don't think you're off the hook," she says. "Either of you."

She keeps the straight face until she gets out the bathroom. But she can't hold in her amusement much longer. Some days, it's like she has 2 kids to raise. She understood the gist of what Tyler was trying to say about the motor boat in the tub with him and how Castle accidentally revved the engine too high, spraying water everywhere. She'll deal with that later, though. She's too excited about her test.

She see's Castle's wallet on the desk and grabs it on her way to the door to pay the delivery guy.

"How much do I owe?" she asks as she's opening the door. She's looking into the wallet and doesn't see that it isn't a guy bringing sandwiches.

"On the house."

"Will," she says, looking up when she notices it's him. She checks behind her to make sure Castle wasn't in view before trying to push Sorenson out into the hallway to chat. But he's pushed his way inside before she gets the chance.

"I heard the test results. You not only passed, but got the highest score. I thought that deserved a celebration. I brought champagne."

He hold up the bottle for her to see. He even has glasses, in case she didn't have any, she assumes.

"That's really nice, Will, but …"

"But what? You're not pushing me off this time, Kate Beckett. Remember what we talked about the other day? I'm worried you're not letting yourself enjoy the city and the job. You can easily get burnt out. As your partner, it's my duty to take care of you. Let me take care of you, Kate."

He gives her the smoldering look he used to give her back in the day. The one that never failed to get her in bed. It doesn't seem to be working this time.

"Oh, God. You're trying to seduce me," she says, rolling her eyes. "How much of that champagne did you drink? I think you need to go."

"I'm not drunk," he says with a laugh. "But yes. I am trying to seduce you. Don't you miss us, Kate? We were so good together. Don't you …"

His words are cut off by a shriek of laughter coming from a flash of light barrelling towards him.

Beckett reaches down and easily scoops up what turns out to be a very wet and naked little boy. Will looks up to see a half naked man coming towards them struggling to get into a t-shirt.

"He's a fast little sucker," he says, and Will is beyond shocked when he recognizes him.

"Will, you remember Castle," Beckett says, a laugh in her voice as she tries to control the wriggling little boy in her arms. "And this is Tyler."

"Nice seeing you again, Agent Sorenson," Castle says politely, offering the man his hand to shake.

"Mr. Castle," Will says.

"I'm going to get him dressed since you couldn't manage it, Castle," Beckett tells the men. "Be right back."

Tyler mutters something unintelligible that makes Beckett laugh again.

"Yes, you have to wear your jammies. I don't know what you and your daddy do when I'm not home, but you can't run around naked here."

She disappears into the room for the diaper and some clothes.

"Was he speaking English?" Will asks.

Castle just laughs.

"He thinks he is. But Kate is the only one who seems to be able to understand him. Must be a mom thing," he shrugs, repeating her words from the other day.

"A mom thing," Will nods, trying to process all he's seen in those few short minutes. "So you two are …"

"We're together. Engaged, in fact."

"Ahh," Will nods again. "I think I see. I guess Kate and I won't be drinking this."

He holds up the bottle of champagne and shrugs.

"It was worth a shot. But I see now I never had a chance. Just tell her I'll see her at work on Monday and to have a nice weekend."

Will wastes no time getting out of the apartment. He waits until he's back in his car before dialing the number.

"I think I found a weakness," he tells the mystery man. "Better yet, I've found a way to use it to get her to trust me again."

He hangs up the phone then looks back at her building. He's got some plans to make if this is going to go off without a hitch.

x.x.x.x.x

"Will's gone?" Beckett asks when she comes out the room. "I hate to admit this, but I was actually kind of hiding in there from him.

"He's gone," Castle nods. He turns around to look at her, puzzled when he notices she's alone. "Where's Tyler."

"Sleep. He was exhausted, must be the sea battle you two waged against each other in my bath tub."

"The kid just won't keep my secrets," he smiles, reaching out for her when she steps closer.

"Speaking of secrets," she says, sitting onto his lap. "What do you think Sorenson is up to?"

"Not sure. But he wasted no time getting out of here. He wanted me to think he was disappointed to find you taken, but it seemed like it was more than that."

"Have the guys found anything on him?"

"Not that I know. They're still looking, though," Castle tells her. He brushes her hair off her shoulder and plants a kiss on her neck. "But let's not think about him right now. I hear you passed that test of yours. Got the top score, is that right?"

"I guess," she shrugs, gasping when he latches on and nibbles the spot that always makes her melt. She moans his name when his hands start to get into the game.

"Don't stop," she pleads.

"Not a chance," he says, before flipping her onto her back. He continues to drive away all thoughts of Will Sorenson from her mind. Tonight is to celebrate her victory. They'll worry about all the rest tomorrow.

x.x.x.x.x

Castle is acting weird the next day, Beckett notices. Weirder than usual. He tells her he has a surprise for her, but won't tell her what. She tries getting it out of him, but he holds the secret tight. Whatever it is, has him giddy like a little boy. She she decides to just let him have his fun.

A knock on the door interrupts the story she's reading to Tyler. She gives Castle a questioning look and is puzzled at his smile.

"Your surprise," is all he says, as he walks to the door. He pulls it open and steps aside so she can see.

"Alexis?"

"Surprise!" the girl says, giving her dad a hug before moving into the apartment.

"What are you doing here?" Beckett asks, standing to give her a hug. A shy Tyler clings tightly to her.

"Aww, hi Tyler," Alexis says in a friendly tone. "It's so good to finally meet you."

"Tyler, wanna say hi to your big sister, Alexis?" Beckett urges him.

Alexis holds out her hands and Tyler glances at Beckett to see if it's okay. At her nod, he let's Alexis take him. But he keeps looking at Beckett to make sure he doesn't get too far from her.

"It's good to see you," Beckett says, offering Alexis a seat. "You look great. How was Costa Rica?"

"Costa Rica was amazing," Alexis says. "But I missed home. Especially when I found out about your engagement and about Tyler. I felt like I was missing out. But now that I'm here, we can start planning a wedding."

"Yeah, we can," Beckett says, suddenly realizing she hadn't even thought of the wedding once since she accepted Castle's ring. "I think subconsciously, I was waiting on you and Martha to get back from your trips. I want you both to be part of it all."

"Mother is going to love that. But back to you, Alexis. How amazing was Costa Rica? What did you do?"

"_Really_ Amazing," Alexis gushes, a blush coming to her cheeks. The look on her face lets Beckett know there's so much more to this story and that Castle probably doesn't need to hear it. She know she won't be hearing the whole story while Castle is present. She needs to get rid of the man.

"Hey, Castle," she says. "How about you and Tyler run and get us some bagels or something. Let me and Alexis have a little girl time."

"But she just got here," Castle whines. But the look he gets from Beckett shuts him up and sends him on his way. He takes Tyler from Alexis and heads towards the door.

"Mama?" Tyler says, reaching back for Beckett.

"We're gonna go get Mama something to eat, Buddy. We'll be right back," Castle explains to the boy to get him out the apartment with minimal fuss.

"I'll be right here waiting, Baby," Beckett adds, waving until they finally leave.

"How cute," Alexis comments. "Tyler didn't want to leave you."

"He's a good kid," Beckett smiles.

"What's it like? Suddenly becoming a mom?"

"Kind of scary," Beckett admits, no longer denying her role in Tyler's life. "There's so much I don't know about raising kids. What if I screw him up?"

"You did a pretty good job raising me," Alexis points out.

"I unfortunately can't take any credit for the amazing person you turned out to be."

"You did more than you think. You were there for my dad and gave me someone to look up to. You may not know this, Kate, but I do love you."

"I love you too, Alexis," Beckett says, taking the girl's hand and squeezing it in her own. Her eyes are suspiciously moist, as are Alexis'. "I'm frankly afraid to have kids because I doubt they can come better than you."

"We'll, I'm far from perfect," Alexis says, starting to get uncomfortable. "Far, _far_ from it."

"This about Costa Rica?" Beckett guesses. "You met a guy?"

"How could you know that?" Alexis practically gasps. "Oh my God, does it show?"

"Ahh, things got pretty serious, then," Beckett says with a nod. "I'm assuming you were careful?"

Alexis just nods.

"Are you okay? This guy was good to you?"

"Uh, you're being a 'mom' right now and this is getting really uncomfortable," Alexis confesses.

"Yeah, I thought it was just me," Beckett says with a nervous laugh. "But seriously, I know your dad can flip out sometimes over the idea of you growing up. So if you ever need to talk, we can just ignore the weirdness and you can come to me about anything, anytime."

"I appreciate that," Alexis smiles, leaning over to hug her. "Now go get dressed."

"Excuse me?" The sudden change in subject confuses Beckett.

"To show my appreciation, I'm sending you and Dad out for the evening. I'll stay with Tyler so you two can go out and not worry about a baby."

"That actually sounds like a really good idea," Beckett says after a moment to think it over. "I think I'll take you up on it."

She thinks of the sexy dress that would be perfect for this occasion, blushing when her mind wanders to how fast Castle will be able to get her out of it.

"You really are the best kid," Beckett says to Alexis before running off to her bedroom to get ready.

x.x.x.x.x

A grown up night out wasn't just a good idea, it was the best idea Beckett has heard in awhile. It's been so long since she's had time alone with Castle. She wouldn't give Tyler up for anything in the world. But not having him around has definitely turned up the flames of her passion for Castle.

But halfway through the evening, just when Castle has almost convinced Beckett they need a hotel room, a startling message comes for them.

"Oh my God," Beckett says, rising from the table and running out the restaurant.

"What, Beckett? What is it? You have to go to work?" Castle asks, pulling on her arm to slow her down. He wants to run back inside for the credit card he tossed on the table when he ran out after her. "What's going on?"

"We have to get back to the apartment. There's been a fire," she says, her face sheet white in fear and panic.

"What? Who was that?" Castle demands to know.

"One of the neighbors. Alexis had him call me."

Beckett looks up and down the street for a taxi. She briefly considers running home.

"So she's okay," Castle says, letting out a relieved breath. "If she could have someone call us, then she's okay. How about Tyler?"

Beckett just shakes her head.

"They don't know," she cries. "He's missing. They can't find him."


	12. Chapter 11

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

**CHAPTER 11**

When they finally make it back home, they find Alexis on the back of an ambulance getting oxygen. She sees her parents and pushes the paramedic away, trying to get up to get to them.

"Dad! Kate!" she yells, causing her lungs to rebel and send her into a fit of coughs.

"Alexis, are you okay?" Beckett asks her, hugging her close. "Why haven't you gone to the hospital?"

"She won't leave without her brother."

Castle and Beckett turn around, surprised to see Sorenson there.

"Will?" Beckett asks. "Why are you here?"

"I heard this was your place and got worried," he explains. "Now, I hear there's a missing child. That's sort of my area of expertise, if you recall."

"Good," Beckett nods. "It's good you're here."

"Anything you need, Kate," Will says, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Just let me know. I'm right here."

"Alexis, what happened?" Castle asks his daughter, trying to ignore the possessive feelings rising up at the sight of Sorenson touching Beckett. Because she's right. With Tyler being missing, it's a good thing Sorenson is here. He hates to admit it, but they need him.

"Tyler was asleep in the room," Alexis explains. "I was in the living room."

"Doing what?" Sorenson asks.

"Just messing around on my phone. Texting and tweeting some friends to catch up with what's been going on this summer."

"No TV or music playing? No friends over?" Will continues to question.

"No, nothing like that."

Alexis is starting to get agitated so Castle moves next to her and puts a comforting arm around her.

"It's okay, Baby. Just tell us what you remember," Castle says gently, glaring at Sorenson. "Agent Sorenson won't interrupt anymore."

"Like I said, Tyler was asleep in the room. I was out in the living room. The fire alarm went off and it surprised me. Of course it surprised me," she mutters, almost to herself. "I mean, who expects a fire alarm to go off? It was strange, but I ran in the room for Tyler. By the time I got back into the living room with him, I started to smell smoke. So I ran back to get his blanket to toss over his head."

"That was good thinking, Sweetie," Beckett nods. "So you had Tyler?"

"I did. But on our way down the stairs to evacuate the building, I had started to inhale a lot of smoke and was coughing. We ran into a couple of firemen. One of them took Tyler and the other one carried me out of the building. Before I knew it, I was on the back of this ambulance with an oxygen mask strapped to my face."

"Where was Tyler?" Castle asks.

"I don't know?" Alexis cries. "I looked around for him, but I couldn't find him.

"Did you check with the fire chief?" Beckett asks Sorenson. "See who was on duty and find out which of the men brought Alexis and Tyler out?"

"Let's go do that now," Sorenson suggests. "We can investigate while Castle gets Alexis to the hospital."

"That's not a bad idea, Castle," Beckett agrees. "She needs to be checked out."

Castle is torn, but realizes they're right. He's no help to Tyler just standing around doing nothing. Better to let Beckett and Sorenson investigate and he can make sure Alexis is healthy.

"Call me with any news," he makes her promise before leaving.

Once Castle and Alexis are out of earshot, Sorenson turns to Beckett.

"How much do you trust what Alexis is saying?"

"What do you mean?" Beckett asks, confused at what he's asking and why.

"You know how kids are. How likely is it she's hiding something? Maybe she had a guy over. Maybe she was on the phone and wasn't paying attention to something she was cooking in the kitchen. Maybe she …"

"Stop right there," Beckett interrupts him. "I completely trust Alexis. I'd be willing to bet my badge that her accounting of what happened here tonight is the complete truth as she knows it. Don't even think about looking at her for this."

"Kate, you can't discount anything in these child abduction cases, you know that," he reminds her.

"In this case I can," Beckett insists. "Something else is going on here. Now let's talk to these firemen and find out what happened to my son."

She storms off and Will can't help but admire the fire in her eyes. Even in the face of tragedy, maybe even _especially_ in this case, she's even more resolved and determined to kick butt and take names. Even if it wasn't his assignment, he'd still try to get her in bed, he realizes. He never could resist her.

They interview the different firemen on scene and discover some puzzling facts. First, the fire turned out not to be an actual fire. It was just a bunch of smoke near Beckett's apartment used to force Alexis and Tyler out. Secondly, none of the other firemen remember bringing out Tyler. The one who brought out Alexis recalls the other firemen taking Tyler, but no one seemed to know who he was or where he went.

"He was wearing a mask like we all were," the fireman says. "There's was a lot of smoke. We were just trying to get everyone out of there safely."

"How is this possible," Beckett practically growls out in anger and frustration. "How can a little boy and a fireman just disappear."

"I don't think they just disappeared," a younger agent says when he approaches Beckett and Sorenson. He's holding a plastic bag in his hand. "We found this in the dumpsters behind the building. The bag held a discarded fireman's suit and a blue scrap of cloth.

"That's Tyler's blanket," Beckett gasps. Despite her attempts not to, she begins to cry. Sorenson pulls her into his arms.

"Hey, don't worry. We're going to find him," he promises her, rubbing her back to sooth her. "You know we always do."

"How?" she asks him, pushing away from him and wiping the tears from her face. "We don't know where he is, who took him, or why. How do we find him?"

"Alexis," he says. "I'll go talk to her again and see if she remembers anything about our mystery fireman. Maybe she can give us a description of him."

"That's fine," Beckett nods. "I wanted to check on her anyway."

When they get to the hospital, Will pulls her aside before they go up to Alexis' room.

"Kate, better let me handle this," he says. At her confused look, he explains. "You know I've done this a lot, right? Things tend to be tense between the parents. There's always the question of who's to blame."

"We don't even know what happened," she says. "But neither of us are to blame. We wouldn't blame the other."

"The child was taken from your home in your city," Will points out. "Plus, you aren't the boy's natural mother. Feelings and emotions run hot in these situations. I'd hate for things to get too emotional in there if Castle blames you for Tyler's disappearance."

She's silent for a moment, considering his words.

"This is my fault, isn't it? This is what you warned me about. How in this job, we can't have any connections that can be used against us."

"I'm afraid so, Kate," he says, taking her hand and kissing it. "But know that I'm here for you. You can depend on me."

He goes in to talk to Alexis and Castle, leaving Beckett in the lobby to wait. A few seconds later, she sees Martha walking into the lobby to sit and wait while Sorenson questions Alexis.

"Martha?"

"Oh, Katherine. There you are, Darling."

"When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago. I left my retreat early when I got the message from Richard about my new little grandson being missing and Alexis being here in the hospital. This is horrible. How are you doing?"

"Scared, Martha. So scared. This is just like it was the last time when Alexis was gone."

"And like Alexis, you'll find Tyler," Martha assures her, pulling her in for a hug. "You have to. I have to meet my grandson."

"Mother," Castle says. "Can you go in and sit with Alexis?"

Both women look up, shocked to see Castle and Sorenson there. More time must have passed than they realized. Martha gives Beckett's hand one last pat before walking down the hall to see her granddaughter.

"How's Alexis?" Beckett asks, confused when an angry look comes on Castle's face and he avoids looking at her.

"She wasn't able to give us anything on that other fireman," Will says, walking towards Beckett. "But I just got a text that there's a lead. We should go check it out."

"No, wait," Beckett says, jerking away from Sorenson when he tries to lead her away by her arm. She tries to walk towards Castle.

"Kate, give him space," Will says softly to her. "Remember what I said earlier about him blaming you?"

A hurt look fills her eyes and she looks over at Castle.

"Just give me a minute with him."

She walks to Castle and move until they're out of earshot of Sorenson.

"So you do blame me," she says softly, her eyes filling with tears.

"Says the woman who suspects my daughter in this," Castle scoffs, rolling his eyes.

"I never said that," she insists. "Why would you even think that?"

"And I never said I blamed you. Why would you think that?"

It clicks for both of them at the same time.

"Sorenson," they say simultaneously.

"He's playing a game, trying to pit us against the other," Castle figures. "No, no, no! Don't look at him."

He stops her when he notices she's about to glare at Sorenson.

"Not yet. Just stand there looking angry with me," he order her. "I need more time to figure this out."

"Figure what out? What are you talking about, Castle?"

"Something's going on here. He wants you to think I blame you and he wants me to think you suspect Alexis. He came in there and put her through a criminal style interrogation, letting us believe you agreed to it."

"What? Never! We agreed that Alexis might be able to describe the fireman who took Tyler. That's all," she explains. "I specifically told him that I completely trusted Alexis and not to even think of looking at her for this. That scum."

"Ooh, that's a good angry face, keep that," he says with a quick smile. "Just let him think you're angry with me."

She almost smiles, but manages to keep it in check.

"You're serious about this, aren't you, Castle?"

"All separately, the pieces didn't make sense. But all together, I think I'm getting the whole story."

"What pieces? Clue me in, please."

"I got this text a few minutes ago just as Sorenson was finishing with Alexis."

He shows her his phone, being sure Sorenson can't see what he's doing. Her eyes open wide when she reads the text from Ryan.

"They found something on Will," Beckett gasps.

"Something big," Castle nods. "They found a connection that just about explains it all. It explains what you're doing here. What he's doing here. And hopefully, who has Tyler."

"Oh my God, Castle. How long has Will Sorenson been making a fool of me?" she asks, horror filling her voice. "How far does this goes back?"

"Probably back to your mother's murder …. seeing as how Sorenson is Senator Bracken's half brother."


	13. Chapter 12

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

**CHAPTER 12**

Beckett doesn't have to fake the shocked, traumatized expression on her face. The news Castle just shared with her blows her entire world out of the water. She walks back to where Sorenson is and has to force herself not to pull her gun on him.

"Let's go," she says, her voice hoarse with choking back her tears and anger. "I need to go."

"Kate?" Will asks, concern in his voice.

"You were right about Castle," she says, letting Sorenson think they had a fight.

Will tries to put his arms around her, but she can't tolerate his touch, not even for the show she agreed to put on. Finding out his connection to Bracken has her convinced he's behind Tyler's disappearance. She and Castle figured if she played along, Sorenson would eventually lead her to Tyler.

"Don't touch me," she says, holding her hands up as a barrier. "Just … please."

"Oh, Kate," Sorenson sighs. "I'm sorry he hurt you like this. I'm sorry he's not the man you thought he was."

"I don't want to talk about Castle. I just want to find my son," Beckett says. "You said you had a lead?"

"We did," Sorenson nods, leading her out the hospital. He opens the car door for her and waits for her to get inside. Once he's gotten in and starts the car, he tells her what he knows.

"A man was seen entering a local hotel with a little boy matching Tyler's description. I sent a team over to stake the place out and see about getting eyes and ears in there. Once it's determined Tyler is there, we'll send in an extraction team."

Despite her and Castle's suspicions about Will, she can't help but pray this is a legitimate tip. Tyler needs to be found. Then, they can deal with whatever Will and Bracken are up to.

x.x.x.x.x

It's close to 2 a.m when Ryan and Esposito show up at Beckett's apartment. They left New York shortly after texting Castle with what they learned about the Sorenson/Bracken connection. By the time they get there, Castle has turned the living room into a mini war room. If they were going to work, they were going to need the right tools.

"Ryan, you can set up your computer over there," Castle points. "Espo, the board is over against that wall. I have a copy of everything the cops and FBI currently have. They were a bit shocked to learn what Sorenson was up to, so they've been more than helpful with trying to make up for this."

"Do we know for a fact what Sorenson is up to? Do we know for a fact that he has Tyler?"

That hard question comes from Esposito.

"Right now, we can only hope that's the case," Castle says quietly. "Otherwise, we'd be starting at square one trying to find Tyler."

Thinking back to a few months earlier when he went through the same thing with Alexis, Castle gives an involuntary shudder. The memories from that time are too raw. Add Tyler's kidnapping on top of that and Castle is close to losing it all together.

"Don't worry, Bro. We'll find him," Esposito assures him.

Castle can only hope he's right.

x.x.x.x.x

"Where is this hotel, Will?" she asks impatiently. "We've been driving around for hours it seems."

"Habit," Sorenson says with a nervous laugh. "Never take the straight route anywhere. Just in case you're being followed."

"It's like 4 in the morning. Who would be following us?" she asks, her questions turning suspicious. "What's really going on here?"

Her question seems to take Sorenson off guard, but he recovers quickly.

"I didn't want to tell you this, but the team has verified Tyler is inside. This has turned into a hostage situation. They've been trying to negotiate for the past few hours."

Beckett doubts that story is true, but she goes along with it.

"So we've been driving around doing nothing!" she shrieks.

"Not nothing. I've been coming up with a plan. I think we should sneak in through the basement and take the kidnapper by surprise," Will explains. "He won't be expecting us."

Sorenson finally stops the car, pulling up to the back of a building that seems to be abandoned.

"He won't know we're coming," Will says, taking out his gun and checking the bullets. "You ready?"

All kinds of warning bells are going off in Beckett's head right now. But she can't risk not going in there if Tyler really is being held there. If she's wrong about Sorenson and he just wants to help her find Tyler, she can't not take this chance.

She also can't risk no one not knowing where she is. When Sorenson isn't looking, she makes sure the GPS is turned on her phone before tossing it into some bushes near the building. Someone should be able to find her so long as she stays in this building.

"I don't know about this, Will," she says, once they're sneaking into the back of the building. Despite her act to go play along with Will's game, she can't help but express her wariness.

"Shh," he says, holding a finger up to his lips. "Do you hear that?"

She listens hard and hears a faint wailing in the distance. It's Tyler. And he's crying for her.

"That's Tyler!" she says, rushing forward to where she's hearing the sound coming from. Too late she realizes Will doesn't rush forward with her. Too late, she hears a door slam and a lock snick into place.

She shines her flashlight into the corner where she hears the sound coming from and finds a laptop. She taps the touchpad to wake up the screen and sees a video feed of Tyler in a room. It was all just a trick. An examination of the computer shows an active wi-fi connection. The feed could be coming from anywhere in the world, she realizes with some dismay.

"Hey!" she yells. "What's going on here?"

The lights suddenly flicker on and she has to squint her eyes against the brightness. A side door she never noticed opens, allowing two men to enter the room. She stares them down, not allowing herself to blink.

"She doesn't look surprised to see us, Billy."

Sorenson winces.

"Don't call me that. You know I hate that nickname," he says, glaring at his brother.

"Senator Bracken," Beckett says with more calm than she's really feeling. "Can't say that it's good to see you again. In fact, you're making me wish I had just let you die all those months ago."

"Too bad," the senator teases. "And I thought we could be friends."

He turns to Sorenson.

"Go check her for weapons or a phone. This girl is dangerous with a gun."

He lifts his hand to his cheek where the scar she gave him still lives.

Sorenson pats her down and takes her main gun as well as her clutch piece. Fortunately, she ditched the phone outside, so she doesn't have to worry about him finding it and turning it off.

"What do you want with me?" she asks, glaring at them both. "How long have you been working for this scum, Sorenson?"

"Longer than you realize," the senator laughs, causing Sorenson to frown at him.

"It wasn't like that," Sorenson tries to explain. "I really did care about you, Kate."

"This goes back to when we were dating?" she asks, not so much surprised by what he's saying. But still dismayed that it's been confirmed.

"He needed someone to … 'handle' you," Sorenson admits. "To make sure you didn't dig too far into your mother's murder."

"You knew the whole time about my mother's murder?" Again, the shock and horror she feels is real. Every memory of him touching her makes her feel dirty now.

"I thought he'd be able to distract you," Senator Bracken adds. "My little brother was supposed to be some stud sent to keep your head in the clouds. But you just wouldn't let it go. So we sent him to Boston and let Roy handle you. That worked out better for us."

"Until Castle came along," Sorenson spits out, letting out his obvious disdain for the man. "He got you started back up on this and it all started to fall apart from there."

"This is a nice story," she says, stopping them. "But what does any of this have to do with me or my son? Why did you take him now?"

"It's like I warned you, Kate. Leverage. Coercion," Sorenson shrugs. "I'd be willing to bet you'd do anything to assure his safe release."

"You took him to make me do your bidding?"

"You, my dear, are a loose end," Bracken explains. "You and that mystery file of yours is all that's standing between me and a scandal free run for President."

"You're never getting that file," Beckett says.

"Never is such a …. definite word," the Senator drawls. "I'm hoping we can get you to change your mind somehow. What's the little one's name again? Tyler?"

"No wait! Don't hurt him," Beckett begs. "Just let him go and I won't give you any trouble."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Bracken says to Sorenson. "I sent you and two hitmen after her and all I had to do was ask nicely.

He turns to face Beckett.

"You know what they say. If you want something done right, do it yourself. The file. Where is it?"

"Once I know Tyler is safe, I'll do whatever you want," Beckett says. "I'm not saying anything before then."

"You think you're in a position to negotiate?" the Senator threatens.

"I think if you wanted me dead, I'd be dead by now," Beckett shoots back. "So yes, I am in a position to negotiate. You won't kill me if there's a risk of your precious secrets getting out."

They stare each other down and finally the Senator graces her with a grin.

"She always was way too much woman for you, Junior," he taunts Sorenson. "The things you and I could have done together, Kate. Can I call you Kate?"

"You can call me whatever you want," she growls. "Just release my son."

Her hands clench into fists and she wants to so badly to punch Bracken in his smug face. She can only hope he gets what's coming to him.

"Junior, go take the kid back to Mr. Castle," Bracken orders. "Let him know his friend here died trying to save his son. It'll be true soon enough anyway."

"You never said anything about killing her," Sorenson says, pausing at the man's words. "I can't cover something like that up."

"Will, it's okay. I know what I'm doing," Beckett says, tears starting to fill her eyes. "Take Tyler home. Make sure he knows I love him."

"Kate, don't do this," Sorenson begs. "We can go away together, just you and me. My brother will never find us. I really did love you. You weren't just an assignment to me. We can be the way we were before."

"You don't get it, do you? Neither of you," she says, staring at them both. "That little boy is everything to me. I will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. Nothing is worth more than his life. Not a man. Not a job. Not even my own life."

After making sure Beckett is cuffed to a chair and secured, Sorenson leaves to follow his brother's orders.

"Just watch," Bracken says, turning the computer monitor to face her. She's a bit nervous that Bracken is going to pay to close attention to the computer, but her attention is diverted when she sees Sorenson enter the room where Tyler is. She watches as he picks up the sleeping Tyler and walk out the room. The little boy had tired himself with his crying. And apparently was in a room right upstairs. It only took Sorenson a minute to get to him.

"How will I know when he's safely with Castle?" she asks, her heart breaking at the fact that this could be the last time she sees her baby boy.

"We'll get a call. And then, you start talking."

She's afraid of what's going to happen when the Senator realizes she has nothing to say. How long can she bluff about a file that no longer exists?

x.x.x.x.x

Castle shakes himself awake, pouring another cup of coffee from the seemingly never ending pot. His mother has been an invaluable help to them. She's been playing nurse to Alexis, who was released after a couple hours. And she's been keeping the guys supplied with snacks and coffee while they worked.

But, it's nearly dawn and he's starting to worry about Beckett. The GPS on her phone said that she stopped moving a few hours before, but he hasn't heard from her.

"Guys, I think we should go to where Beckett's phone is and see if she's there," Castle suggests. She should have called by now."

They agree and start to grab their stuff when there's a knock at the door.

Ryan signals them to be quiet and pulls his gun. Esposito stands on the other side of the door and pulls his gun as well. They nod to Castle when they're set. He opens the door.

"Tyler!" he says, reaching for the boy and pulling him out of Sorenson's hands. He hugs him tight, unable to resist the joy of having his son returned. "You found him."

Sorenson steps inside the room. He stops in his track when he notices the two men holding their guns on him. Slowly, he raises his hands above his head.

"You don't want to make any sudden moves," Esposito threatens. "Where's Beckett?"

"I'm supposed to tell you she's dead," Sorenson admits after a few moments to weigh his options. "That she died trying to save Tyler."

"So Bracken has her," Castle guesses, nodding when Sorenson's eyes fly wide open in shock.

"That's right. We know all about you two," Ryan says, moving to handcuff Sorenson. Better to be safe than sorry. "What do you need Beckett for?"

"You don't want to do this," Sorenson warns them. "He'll kill her if I don't come back."

"Then you better start talking." Esposito places the barrel of his gun up to Sorenson's head. "Now."

"He wants the file," Sorenson blurts out. "He's running for President and can't risk what Kate knows being able to come back to haunt him."

"Maybe he shouldn't have killed her mother and stolen bribes," Castle says snidely. "Where do you fit into all of this?"

"The Senator found out about me when I was about to graduate from high school. My mother used to be his father's secretary. They had an affair. I was the result. After our father died, William came and found me."

"Both of you are named William," Esposito can't help but laugh once he realizes.

"I guess both our mothers had the same idea to name us after the old man," Sorenson says, less than amused by Esposito's mocking.

"The Senator paid my way through college, something my mother never could have afforded to do," Sorenson continues. "After I graduated, he let me know what the terms of 'repayment' would involve. I joined the FBI and shortly after, hooked up with Kate. I was just supposed to watch her and make sure she didn't dig too deeply into her mother's murder. But I ended up falling in love with her."

"Don't say that," Castle says angrily. "Don't you dare claim to have loved her, all the while knowing exactly what happened to her mother and never telling her."

"I don't regret it," Sorenson says, boldly looking at Castle. "I'd do it all again. Bringing her here to work in the FBI was my way to do it all over. I just didn't realize she was bringing along so much baggage. Nevertheless, the kid was the perfect pawn to get her to do what we wanted."

Castle turns away, unwilling to let the men see his tears.

"For what it's worth, she really loves the kid," Sorenson tells Castle. "She's willing to die for him."

Anger and determination fills Castle and he turns back around.

"I'm not going to let that happen," he growls, his clenched fist striking out to Sorenson. He knocks the man out with one punch.

x.x.x.x.x

**To be concluded ...**


	14. Chapter 13

Life Taking Place Elsewhere

By NickyM96

**CHAPTER 13**

"Why me?" Beckett asks after a long silence. "Why am I such a threat to you?"

"You know why," the Senator says.

But Beckett wants him to say it. She needs him to admit it. She has to hear it all.

"If you're going to kill me anyway, I may as well know it all."

He considers her for a moment before giving her what he believes his is charming smile.

"I suppose that's only fair," he nods. "You're here because I want the file."

"The file with all the evidence of murder and extortion," she elaborates.

"Murder and extortion are such ugly words," the Senator chuckles. "Let's just say I had some problems and paid a guy to get rid of them. Who in politics has never done that?"

"I need to hear it all," she repeats. "Please. I need to hear to say it so I can die in peace."

"Your mother," he says. "She was a problem. She got in the way. I paid Dick Coonan to kill her. You have all the banking information as proof."

"Hal Lockwood?"

"I hired him to take care of those three cops."

"Maddox?"

"He was supposed to clean up all the rest of it. Funny how you kept slipping through my fingers. Once I destroy that last file, I'll take care of you myself," the Senator says with some glee. "I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Killing me won't be so easy," she warns him. "How will you explain it away?"

"It's perfect, really. Now that you're a full fledged FBI agent, it will come out that you've been assigned to protect me, since you did such a good job at it before. Unfortunately, tragedy will befall you when an attempt is made on my life. I'll pull the trigger myself if I have to."

Beckett has to admit it's a good plan. She's about to tell him so when the cell phone in his pocket rings.

"Is it done?" he asks upon answering it.

"It's done," Sorenson says, rubbing his jaw where Castle clocked him. "But you might want to get out of there. They figured out I was lying to them and had me arrested. I used my one phone call to warn you they're on the way."

Bracken frowns and hangs up the phone.

"Change in plans," he says to Beckett, pulling out a gun. He points it at her. "Not a word out of you."

He takes off his tie and ties it around her eyes to blindfold her. He finds some zip ties in the corner and binds her hands so he can uncuff her from the chair without any trouble.

"Stand up and start walking straight ahead," he orders, the gun pointing into her back.

"Where are you taking me?" she asks.

"I said no talking," he orders. "I need to think."

She can't see him, but she can feel the draft that hits her face when he opens the door in front of her.

"Keep moving," he says.

She walks, waiting to feel the warmth of the sun on her face. She considers making a run for it once she gets outside, but she knows she wouldn't get far blindfolded the way she is. Truth is, she wouldn't be able to do anything without her sense of sight. She'd literally be a sitting duck. He could shoot her and she'd never even see it coming.

The more steps she takes away from the building, the more she realizes how hopeless her situation is. Staying near her discarded cell phone was her only hope in Castle finding her through the GPS. If she leaves, there's no way he'll know where she is.

"I'm not taking another step until you tell me where we're going," she says, stopping suddenly in her tracks. She has no other course of action. "At least take off the blindfold so I can see. It will look less suspicious if other people see us."

"No funny business," he says after a moment. "Or you and your precious little boy are both dead."

"I promise," she says meekly, but fully intending to break that promise.

He has to put down the gun in order to take off her blindfold. She squints, pretending the bright sun is blinding her. She has one shot to get this right. Taking aim, she brings up her knee into his groin. When he bends over in pain, she slams her bound hands into his face, knocking him backwards. Then she runs.

The sound of a gunshot stops her. Expecting to feel pain, she takes a quick inventory before realizing she hasn't been shot. She turns around and sees the Senator writhing in pain on the ground, Ryan and Esposito standing over him with their guns.

"Kate!" she hears from the distance. She looks to her left to see Castle running up to her, having just jumped out of the back of a police car that has just barely stopped.

"Castle!" she calls back, moving towards him. She lifts her hands over his head to hug him just as his arms go around her waist. "You found me."

"Always," he says. They separate and he works on releasing her bonds.

"Tyler?"

"He's safe. He's with my mother and a couple of DC's finest standing guard," he assures her. "We got him back."

"Will?"

"He's been arrested," Ryan answers as he walks up dragging a bound Bracken between him and Esposito. "This dirtbag is about to join him."

"Let go of me this instant," the Senator orders. "These charges won't stick and I'll have your badges."

"I have your confession," Beckett tells him, watching his angry scowl turn into a mocking grin.

"Confession? Ha!" he laughs. "I don't know what you're talking about. In fact, by the time I'm done, you're the one who's going to be arrested for kidnapping me. Your life is over, Ms. Beckett."

"No, Senator. Your life is over," she says, leaning closer to him to he won't miss any of her words. "I enabled the sound recorder on the laptop when I first was locked in that room. I have every word of your confession recorded, right from your own mouth."

She grins at the way his face loses every ounce of color.

"Don't think this is over," he warns her before the police take him away. "This goes higher than me."

**Epilogue**

"I quit my job … again," she says to her husband of two months with a kiss hello. "That's twice in as many years. I hope I don't make a habit of it."

"The Fed thing just wasn't working out for you, huh?" he jokes, knowing exactly what happened to cause her severe distrust of the FBI.

On the one hand, her Bracken situation has finally been dealt with once and for all. She won't have to worry about looking over her shoulder for him to come gunning for her. The recording from the computer with his confession was more than enough to put him in jail for life. Sorenson got five years in minimum security in exchange for his testimony against the Senator. She doubts he'll be coming around again ever. She warned him she'd kill him if she ever saw him again. She was mostly kidding.

The Attorney General's office tried their hardest to keep her, but she just couldn't. They even offered her a plum assignment in the New York office so she could be back home. But she turned that down as well. She didn't blame them for Tyler's kidnapping, but she also didn't want anything else to do with them. So here she is, back in New York with the man she loves surrounded by the people she loves.

"I don't think the Fed thing was ever going to work out for me," she confesses. "It may have been what I wanted at one time, but not anymore. I have everything I want and need right here with you, Castle."

"No regrets?"

"None whatsoever," she smiles, leaning in to kiss him again.

The door opens and Alexis comes in with Tyler. They had just gotten back from the park. Tyler runs to Beckett and jumps into her arms.

"Mama!" he says with his characteristic enthusiastic greeting for her.

She holds him close, her heart bursting with love for him. No, she has no regrets, she thinks, holding this little boy in her arms. She's finally right where she's supposed to be living the life she never knew she wanted.

**The end.**

x.x.x.x.x

A/N … So this didn't really turn out how I thought. But it was still really fun to write. Thanks for sticking with me to the end. I appreciate everyone reading and commenting.


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